SparkScream
by Autobot Chromia
Summary: Seekers are naturally very protective of young, and have the most unusual 'pregnancys'. When Starscream is sparked with a liter, out of energon, and alone, what happens? What happens when the Autobots find him and take him as their prisoner? Rated T for safety. Set in Transformers Prime
1. Chapter 1 Prisoner

Chapter 1 Prisoner

**My Transformer Terminology**

**Bleem : Hour**

**Vorn : Month**

**Orn : Day**

**Sparked Sick : Pregnancy sick**

**I do not own Transformers If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Please R'n'R. Thank You.**

"I don't have any."

Starscream's tank grinded in protest.

"Shhh." Starscream shushed gently, laying a hand over his stomach plating.

Now, if one saw the Seeker looking at his empty stomach, speaking to it, one might think that the Seeker must have lost his processor. That, or the lack of energon was finally getting to him. That though, was entirely not the case. The case was that he was sparked, and had been for awhile. He had ran out of energon weeks ago, and knew that if he didn't get some soon that he and however many sparklings were in him would offline. They were very distressed, and Starscream could sense that.

"I know your hungry, I am too."Starscream spoke outloud. "But I don't have any!"

To keep his processor occupied on something other then his grinding tank, he went over to a dead moniter and began to fiddle with wires inside of it. He took the wires and began to rearrange them in randm orders, trying to see if he could get it on. Suddenly, a large surge of electricity went through the Seeker's frame, making him leap back with a cry of pain.

"What the frag?"he exclaimed.

He had jumped back nearly all the way across the room. Grumbling to himself, he slowly picked himself off the ground. Casting a glance towards the despicable moniter that had nearly fried his circuty, he notisiced that the screen was on, and a tiny dot was blinking in the corner.

Starscream rushed over to the moniter. That blip could mean only one thing.

"Energon!"Starscream exclaimed.

Before he could find out if the dot was moving, meaning that it was the energy signal of a bot; or if it was still, meaning that it was an energon depost, the screen went black.

"No! No no no!"Starscream rambled as he banged the control panal with his fists.

Starscream took a deep vent, to try and calm the startled Seekerlings.

"At least I saw where the energon is."Starscream spoke to himself.

Starscream went over to the other side of the abandoned ship he was living in, and picked up a remote.

"I might as well use the ground bridge."he said to himself.

The Ground Bridge ran on energon. It had to be pre-filled, and once it was filled, there was no getting that energon back. There was barely enough energon left in the bridge for a trip though. Starscream typed the coordinates into the remote, and the bridge whirred open. Having no time to hesitate, he ran through it. It closed the moment he was on solid ground again. A freezing gust of wind and snow blew into his face, making his turn away and shutter his optics.

"The fraggin arctic?"he growled to himself. "Couldn't have been someplace...I don't know, warmer?"

He wrapped his servos around himself as he started to walk. He shivered violently as the blizzard progressed on, becoming worse and worse. After a few hours, he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Energon or no energon, I'm going back!"

He took the remote out of subspace, and typed in his coordinates to go back, warm up, and starve to death. To his absolute horror, the bridge stuttered open before him, opened a small amount so that his thin hand and servo wouldn't even be able to fit through it, and closed again.

"No! No! Please!"Starscream shouted and pleaded. "Curse you, Primus!"

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Optmus!"Ratchet called out.

"What is it,Ratchet?"the Prime asked.

"I'm getting a faint energon reading. From the arctic."Ratchet replied.

"Again?"Bulkhead asked. "We just came from there five minutes ago!"

"We have to go back then."Optimus said, facing the ex-wrecker.

"It's too faint to be a bot, so it's probably just a deposit."Ratchet said as he typed coordinates into the Ground Bridge controls.

"Good, we could use it."Arcee said, preparing herself for another round in the ice and snow.

Ratchet pushed the lever to the ground bridge down, and the bridge whirred to live in a swirl of green, blue, and white. Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead quickly ran through. The ran straight into a blizzard as the bridge closed behind them.

"I just thought of something."Bulkhead said aloud as the bridge dissapeared.

"You? Really?"Arcee asked, getting a beeping laugh from Bumblebee

Bulkhead chose to ignore her comment and continue. "Why does Ratchet get to stay in base all the time? I mean, he hasn't ever gone to the arctic before or anything."

"Ratchet controls the ground bridge, and is needed to stay safe."Optimus patiently explained. "He is the medic, and would be of no use if he became sick or injured."

Bulkhead just mumbled something audible only to himself.

"The signal is coming from these snow banks."Optimus said. "Do not spread out. We need to stay together."

"Got it."Arcee said, stepping foward to start digging in the first snow bank.

Bumblebee took the second, Bulkhead the third, and Optimus the fourth. The started to clear away the snow until they were positive that there was nothing under that bank. Then they would move on to another bank. They did so for almost an hour, the signal getting weaker as if the energon deposit was loosing it's strength. Just as the Autobots had decided to finish up what they had and then call it quits, Bumblebee began to whirr loudly.

"What is it,Bee?"Arcee asked.

Bumblebee bounced a bit as he pointed to his bank./ I found wings!/

"Wings?"Bulkhead asked.

Bumblebee buzzed and nodded, digging faster at his bank. The others quit their banks to help the youngling dig his out. Once it was uncovered Arcee recoiled, glaring at what had been dug up.

"Leave it."she growled.

"It's Starscream!"Bulkhead exclaimed.

The Seeker was frozen solid, a look of pain and fear frozen on his face. He was curled up in an odd position. He was in the fetal position, but his long, slender pedes were not pressed to his chest. Instead, his servos were wrapped about his stomach plating and then his knees pressed to them.

Optimus shook his helm and vented."We cannot leave him."

"Why not?"Arcee asked."He killed Cliff. I'd say he's getting what he deserves."

"It's not the Autobot way."Optimus said.

Optimus knelt down in the powder like snow, it billowing up in clouds and being carted away by the cold, sharp wind. He pulled on the Seeker, only to find that Starscream was frozen to the ground.

"Bulkhead."Optimus started."Take out your wrecking balls and hit the ground."

Bulkhead gave the Prime an odd look, but did as he was told. With a loud grunt, he slammed his entire wight into the icy ground, causing a huge crack to form. The grack spread under the frozen Seeker, which made it easier for Optimus to lift him. Starscream never moved from his postition as Optimus picked up his frozen frame.

"Is he even alive?"Arcee asked, even though she couldn't care any less.

Optmus nodded in the positive. "He is, but he will not be for long if he is not helped immediatly."

Optimus turned on his internal comm. link, as his hands were full.

: Ratchet, we have found the source of the beacon and are in need of a ground bridge : Optimus commed.

: All right : Ratchet commed back.

: And prepare the med-bay : Optimus finished, shutting off the comm. before the medic could start to lecture.

Ratchet growled a bit in frustration as he heard the link close. He started the ground bridge, and stood in shock as Optimus came though, closely follwed by Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and an upset Arcee.

"Starscream?" Ratchet gasped.

Optimus nodded. "He needs help."

Ratchet vented."In the med-bay, quickly."

Optimus went into the designated med-bay and lay the Seeker down on his side. He was still frozen in his fetal position. Ratchet returned with electric warming blankets, and what Miko had called 'giant hair dryers'. They were relly just handheld dryers, for when the bots got out of the wash wracks or came back from a mission to someplace cold. There were large stand in dryers in the wash racks, but the handheld ones got those hard to reach places.

"Everyone take one."Ratchet ordered.

Arcee shook her helm. "You can't be serious."

"Arcee, I will not force you to help."Optimus said."If you do not wish to help though, please stand out of the way."

Arcee nodded, not wanting to be anywhere near that Seeker.

The others worked in silence, carefully blowing the warm air from the dryers over Starscream's frame, but mainly his face. After a few minutes, a creaking noise came from the ice. The ice around Starscream's wings cracked a bit, a few pieces tinkling to the ground.

"Keep going."Ratchet said. "It's working."

After a few more minutes, one of Starscream's digits twitched a bit. Suddenly, the Seeker jerked violently, spraying the melting ice all over the ground with the sound of broken glass. He sat up and turned away from the Autobots, still not knowing who his rescuers were. He choked and gasped for air for a few seconds, dislodging ice and water from his throat and mouth and olfactory sensors. A took a shakey breath in and let it out in a soft moan.

"Starscream."Optimus started.

A startled cry came from the Seeker, and he spun around in the berth to come face to face with the Autobots.

"Get back!"he cried out."Stay away from me! I didn't do anything!"

"Except kill Cliffjumper."Arcee muttered, glaring at the frightened mech.

Starscream shied away from the Autobots until his wings brushed against the wall. As the berth was surrounded, he curled up around his stomach plating.

"Don't hurt them."came his muffled pleads as his face was covered by his knees and servos. "Do whatever you want with me, but don't hurt them!"

"Who?"Bulkhead asked.

"All right."Arcee said, thoughly irritated. "Enough with the melodramatics."

Starscream didn't move, but continued to plead that 'they' wouldn't be harmed.

"I said enough!"Arcee shouted, slapping his pede.

Starscream jumped up from the berth and lashed out at her, intending to strike her. Eight pairs of weapons were instntly pointed at him. Ratchet, the only one who did not have weapons pointed at the Seeker, went towards him.

"Calm down."he said. "If we were going to hurt you, we would have done it all ready."

Starscream glanced at the glowing barrels of the weapons. Ratchet motioned to them to be lowered, and the slowly did so. Arcee's went down last.

"I don't care for me."Starscream snapped. "Just don't hurt them."

"Who are you speaking of?"Optimus asked.

Starscream refused to answer, but involuntarily brushed his hand aginst his stomach armour. This motion went unnoticed by all except Ratchet. The medic narrowed his optics at the plating, and was surprised to see a rather noticable bulge. Without a word, the medic transformed the scanner from his servo and carefully swept it across the Seeker.

"What are you doing?"Starscream asked in an annoyed voice, turning away from the scanner a bit.

"Optimus."Ratchet stareted."He's carrying."

"Carrying?"Optimus asked, looking at the Seeker's stomach armour. "How many are within him?"

"I'm picking up a liter of seven Seekerling."Ratchet answered.

"Seven?"Starscream exclaimed. "I'm carrying seven? On my first liter?"

"You knew?"Ratchet asked.

"Of course I did, just...not how many."Starscream admitted. He straightened himself to his full height, and gave a nod to Optimus Prime. "I, er, thank yo ufor releasing me from the snow. I hate to thaw and run."

Starscream took a rather shakey step towards the exit of the medical bay. Optimus and the others went to stop him, but Ratchet stopped them all by holding up his hand and smirking. Starscream took a few more steps until he was right next to Bulkhead. The room was spinning, the floor was rocking, and Starscream was beyond 'running on fumes'. He tripped over his own heeled feet and toppled towards the ex-wrecker. Bulkhead caught him, and held him bridal style.

"Release me, Autobot!"Starscream commanded, kicking his pedes and weakly flailing his servos.

Bulkhead bounced him in his servos, as if weighing him. "I know Seekers are light, but I don't think they're supposed to be this light."

Bulkhead continued to bounce the Seeker a few more seconds, seeming to weigh him. Starscream lurched, placing a hand over his mouth.

"Stop!"he almost screeched. "I'm going to purge!"

"Bulkhead, just put him in the berth all ready."Ratchet ordered, although it was obvious that he was amused by the ex-wrecker's and Seeker's actions.

Bulkhead none too carefully put the Seeker in the berth. He had become unnaturally quiet, for him being Starscream that was. Ratchet got a cube of regular mid-grade energon from a cupboard and pressed it to the Seeker's lips. Arcee scowled as the half-concious automaticaly swallowed. As soon as the liquid hit his tanks, he yanked the cube from Ratchet and began to chug it down greedly. This action was done more out of carrier protocals taking over as the sparkling's desperatly needed the energon then the Seeker simply being hungry.

"Slow down!"Ratchet exclaimed, but it did no good.

The cube was quickly finished. Ratchet took it and disposed of it. When he came back, he was not surprised to see that Starscream had fallen into recharge. His systems were trying to conserve the energon, and Seekers naturally burned energon very quickly. The only way to really 'conserve' it was if they recharged.

"What are we supposed to do with him?"Ratchet asked.

"Throw him back in the arctic."Arcee suggested.

"Arcee."Optimus started.

"Fine."Arcee groused, walking away. "Maybe we could toss him in the Sahara."she muttered under her breath.

"I'm serious, Prime."Ratchet continued. "We can't give him to the 'Cons, Megatron will only kill the Seekerlings. We can't just let him go either. He has no energon, and Seekers have been known to have complications during birth, due to how many sparklings there are."

Optimus vented and went into deep thought. After a few moments, he answered the medic. "The only choice we have is to keep him here."

"Is that really safe?"Bulkhead asked."Him around the kids...and then there's Arcee."

"He well be kept in a single room."Optimus said. "He is not to roam free around the base. He is to remain in that room, and it is to be locked and guarded at all times."

"A prisoner."Ratchet said.

Optimus gave a nod.

Arcee perked up a bit at the word 'prisoner'. "Can we inerrogate him?"

Optimus shook his helm. "If he says something that will help our side, then that is different. He is not to be interrogated, or purpusfully harmed."

Arcee went back to her brooding. Ratchet pushed on one of Starscream's wings.

"Hey, wake up."Ratchet said sharply.

Starscream jerked awake, much faster then Ratchet had anticipated. It caught the medic off guard, but only for a moment.

"Get up."Ratchet ordered.

Starscream scrambled from the berth, standing before the medic and Optimus on his long, slender pedes. Optimus and Ratchet got Starscream to walk from the medical bay and towards the hall. Starscream, not knowing his way around the base, could only assume the worst. Arcee stepped before him, glaring hatefully at the Seeker.

"You better watch yourself."Arcee snapped at him.

"Arcee, stand down."Optimus said.

Arcee nodded, stepping out of the way. Ratchet gave Starscream a small push to get him moving again.

"Watch myself?"Starscream mused.

"We are taking you as a prisoner."Optimus said firmly.

"P-prisoner?"Starscream stuttered."You mean you're not sending me back to Megatron?Praise the Allspark!"he exclaimed, clasping his hands together.

"Don't get dramatic."Ratchet ordered, sliding open a door near the back of the base.

Starscream stepped in. A light was turned on, revealing a simple room. There was a berth on one corner, and a chair in the other. That was all, really. Without a word, the door slid closed and Starscream heard it lock behind him. He vented as he lay down on the berth tiredly. The Seekerlings fluttered about within him, lulling him to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2 First Day as Prisoner

Chapter 2 First Day as Prisoner

"Optimus."Ratchet started. "Are you sure keeping him as prisoner is the best arrangement?"

"What other choice do we have, Ratchet?"Optimus asked."Megatron will only harm the Seekerlings, and Starscream will offline with the Seekerlings if we send them on their own."

"Optimus, a Seeker's gestational period is very...odd."Ratchet returned.

"In what ways?"Optimus asked.

"Well, for one thing, everything is in the extremes."Ratchet explained.

"Extreme?"Bulkhead asked, who was standing next to the wall.

"Yes, extreme fatigue, morning sickness, hunger, cravings, mood swings..."Ratchet let his voice trail off to make a point. "It only makes since though, as Seekers have liters instead of just single sparklings."

Bumblebee started to laugh a bit. Arcee glanced at him.

"What's so funny?"she asked.

/How big is he gonna get?/Bumblebee asked, making a huge bump movement over his stomach plating with his hands.

"Very large, actually."Ratchet answered. "You will barely recognize 's late in his second vorn, and all ready showing"

"How are his skinny legs going to hold him up?"Bulkhead asked.

"They won't be."Ratchet answered. "I have never heard of a carrying Seeker that wasn't on berthrest during their later trimesters."

"Is that all, Ratchet?"Optimus asked.

"Not really."Ratchet answered. "There are a few things, but I'll tell you about them as they happen."

Optimus nodded. Arcee stepped foward towards the medic.

"Why do you even care? Why are you even helping him?"she directed her question at both Optimus and Ratchet. "He fragging killed Cliffjumper!"

"We are not helping Starscream."Ratchet said. "We are helping the Seekerlings. The only way to help them though, is through Starscream. Believe me, Arcee, I will be quite happy when they are born and we figure out what to do with Starscream."

"What are you going to do about Starscream and his kids?"Bulkhead asked.

Optimus shook his helm. "We will cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we must focus on making sure the liter stays safe."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Rathet had the wonderful task of cheking on their prisoner the next morning. He knew what to expect, or so he thought. He wasn't at all surprised to see the Seeker curled up on the berth, moaning and complaing about his tank. Ratchet escorted him to the wash racks, not wanting to clean up after a sparked sick carrier.

Starscream sat down in front of the latrine, pulling his pede's to his chasis. He closed his optics and lay his helm on his knees, moaning softly to himself. Ratchet leaned against the doorframe, smirking to himself. When in med-school, he had been able to study sparked Seekers himself. He knew all about their pregnancy habits and what to expect. In Ratchet's processor, he was totally prepared.

"Frag."Starscream mutters, retching and throwing himself over the latrine.

Ratchet felt a shudder travel up his back struts as he heard the purged energon spash into the latrine and automatically wash away. It was almost amusing, the first couple minutes, to see Starscream rather miserable. After almost ten minutes, he was still retching and purging, and did not sound like he was going to stop any time soon. Ratchet went over to the latrine which Starscream sat hunched over.

"Starscream?"Ratchet asked.

Starscream reched again, dark greenish blue energon pouring from him.

"What did you give me, Autobot?"Starscream croaked.

"Nothing."Ratchet said defiantly."Simply regular grade energon!"

Starscream moaned, laying his helm on his servos which were wrapped around the latrine. "I can't handle that."

Before Ratchet could ask why, Starscream retched again. He purged a light yellow, almost clear liquid. Ratchet wasn't shocked, but he was worried. Starscream gasped a bit and held his throat. Tank acids burn like the Pit. Ratchet needed to go grab something from the med-bay, but he couldn't just leave their prisoner alone, not that the prisoner was really in any condition to try and get away. He went back to the doorway.

"Will somebody give me a hand here?"Ratchet called.

Arcee rushed up."What's the problem."

"I need to go to the med-bay."Ratchet started.

"What did that jerk do to you?"Arcee asked.

Ratchet looked at her for a second before it dawned on him. "I am fine. I need to go get something for Starscream."

Arcee grumbled. "Fine."

Arcee stood guard as Ratchet quickly went to the med-bay. She was completely unamused at the sick Seeker, and stood there with here servos crossed across her chasis. A soft moan came from Starscream as he rubbed his burning throat.

"Shut up."Arcee snapped.

"It's not as bad as that time..."Starscream croaked.

OoOoOoOoO

_"You insolent fool!"Megatron roared, striking a tall, slender Seeker to the ground._

_"It wasn't my fault! I swear on my spark!"Starscream exclaimed, not even bothering to get up as he knew he would just get hit again._

_He was very bruised and battered now, with large scratches and dents all over his frame. He felt warm energon trickle from a crack in his lip, and possibly in his pede. All of this because somebody had tampered with his chemicals. Megatron had ordered him to work on something, not even bothering to tell him what it was he wanted, only that he wanted 'it' right._

_Starscream had left for a moment to wash some of the burning liquid from his servo. When he had returned, he had found that things had been moved about. Being a Seeker, he was always very clean and neat and organized. Before he could try and fix the mess, the deep voice of Megatron called out behind him, ordering to bring him what had been done._

_Starscream had nervously handed him a large, clear flask full of a green, glowing liquid. Megatron had poured a small amount into a machine. It stuttered and popped before bursting with smoke and flames. He had turned, yelled at Starscream, and began to brutally beat him._

_That's how he got to where he was, laying at his 'master's' feet. Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted into the air by his wings. He shouted as pain seared through the sensitive panels. Something was being forced into his mouth, and tipped back._

_"You have failed me again, Starscream."came Megatron's now frightfully calm voice."As punishment, you shall drink your own poison."_

_With a swift motion, the flask was tipped up and the burning liquid was poured into his mouth. His reflexes forced him to swallow it automatically, causing more harm then good. The acid burnt his entire mouth and throat tubing, and destroyed the inside of his tank and the rest of his digestive track. He felt himself being thrown to the floor, the now empty flask dropping beside him. Starscream choked, coughed and retched as his systems tried to rid him of the fatal substance within him._

_"Get him out of my sight."Megatron ordered._

_Two Vehicons picked him up and dragged him to Knock Out's med-bay. It had taken many painful days, and countless systems flushes to finally rid him of the poison. There was nothing Knock Out could do for his digestive track though except tell him to drink low grade, or a mixure of mainly low grade and medium grade. Others found it funny to give him regular mid-grade though, or High Grade and watch him suffer. _

OoOoOoOoO

Starscream retched again, more acids coming up and burning his entire throat and mouth again.

"Please, Primus!"Starscream practically sobbed. "Make it stop!"

Primus had other ideas though, and Starscream spat out anouther mouthful of the watery, yellow liquid. His systems were begining to fritz from the pain, he was trembling, and coolant leaked from his optics. Arcee, even though she had impatiently listened to the Seeker's story, felt no pity for him.

"Grow up."Arcee growled.

"Arcee."Ratchet's voice came. "You may leave now."

"What took you so long?"Arcee snapped.

"I had to mix something together, if that's all right with you."Ratchet returned, just as sharp.

Arcee scoffed. "As long as it shuts him up."

"Just go, Arcee."Ratchet said, pointing to the empty hall wich led to the main hangar.

"With pleasure."Arcee huffed as she left.

Starscream's intakes hitched once as he tried to take a deep vent. Ratchet knelt down beside the Seeker and took his slender servo in his hands.

"This will only hurt for a minute."Ratchet said before thrusting the tip of a needle into a tubular vein. "It will help your tank."

Starscream flinched, but did nothing more as the silvery liquid enetered his energon stream. He flet his tank instantly begin to calm down, although his throat and mouth still felt like he had orally injested fire.

"Thank you, Autobot."Starscream said in a cracked voice of real gratitude. "You have no idea how much this helps."

Ratchet nodded. He had overheard Starscream's tale from the nearby med-bay. He rose to his pedes.

"If you don't think you're going to purge again, I have to take you back to your cell."Ratchet said.

"I understand."Starscream said, his voice still very cracked and painfully raw.

He staggered to his own pedes and carefully allowed himself to be escorted back to his brig. As he weakly sat down on the side of the berth, Ratchet motioned to a small table in the room.

"There's a cube of energon there when you feel up to it. Low grade."Ratchet said in his normal gruff tone before closing and locking the door again.

Starscream at first grimaced at the thought of eating anything. As time went on though, and the nausea began to leave the Seeker, that cube was looking awfuly good, if just to give him something to do. He rose to his pedes and crossed the room. To his surprise, the cube wasn't the only thing on the table. Three data-pads sat beside the cube. He turned on each one to see what they were.

The first one was a medical pad on what to expect in sparked Seekers. This one caught Starscream's interest quite a bit, as he honestly knew nothing about what was and was going to happen. The second was simply a historical pad on Cybertron's past. The last, to his surprise and pleasure, was blank. A stylus was attached to it, so that he could keep a journal or doodle in it. They were probably placed there to keep him quiet, but he saw them as a way to keep his sanity.

Taking up the cube and the data-pads, he went and sat down on the berth. He let his pedes dangle over the edge and his wings press into the wall. He onlined the first data-pad and began to read as he sipped his cube. It was the pad on Seeker pregnancys, and he quickly set it aside.

"If that is what's going to happen to me, I'd rather not know."Starscream said, having fallen into the habit of speaking to himself and the sparklings.

He slowly sipped on the cube, wondering what was going to happen to him and the Seekerlings once they emerged. He wanted to stay with them so badly, but he knew that the Autobots would most likely take the sparklets and send him away. Or another option in his processor was they took the sparklings and kept him in the brig. Placing a hand over his slightly extended stomach, he looked down at it.

"If it'll keep you all safe, so be it."he said softly.

Before Starscream could say or do anything else, there was a quick knock at the door and two Autobots entered. Optimus Prime and Ratchet entered the room. Ratchet held something in his hands.

"Turn around, Screamer."Ratchet ordered.

"Please, no need for that."Starscream said in a nonchalant voice.

"We can't have you trying to fly away."Ratchet said testily. "Now turn around so I can put this clamp on your wings."

"Honestly, there is no need to."Starscream continued.

"Unless you give an eligible answer as to why not, it is mandatory for you to wear the clamp."Optimus said.

"At least until you are unable to transform."Ratchet added.

Starscream chuckled as he leaned against the wall abit. With one hand he motioned to his side. He used a voice that only Bumblebee would find familiar.

"No T-cog!"he exclaimed with a slightly sad smirk.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge in disbelief, and took out his internal scanner. He swept it over the Seeker. He looked over the findings and hummed once.

"He's telling the truth."Ratchet said to the Prime.

"How did this happen?"Optimus asked.

Starscream just shrugged a shoulder. "A little...incident, with MECH."

Optimus nodded in understanding.

"I guess there's no need for this."Ratchet said, still holding the clamp.

The two left again, leaving the Seeker to himself. Starscream lay on the berth, his face to the ceiling. The Seekerlets were making him feel especially drained, and he quickly fell into recharge.


	3. Chapter 3 Seeker SYmptoms

Chapter 3 Seeker Symptoms

Two months passed since Starscream had been taken prisoner by the Autobots. He had gained some weight, both normal and due to his being sparked. As time went on he would sleep in later,and longer. The Seekerlings kept him up half the night with their constant moving. That was what was just happening now.

"Don't you guys ever stop?"Starscream asked in an irritated voice.

He was answered by flutters of movement. Growling a bit to himself, he tried to flip over to his side, which was much more comfortable to a bot with any sort of wings. He closed his optics, trying to ignore the movement and get some much needed recharge. He wasn't anywhere near recharge when it happened, but what happened pleasantly surprised him.

A quick knocking want against his stomach armour. His first audible kicks. Starscream looked down at his extended stomach. He placed a hand over it as the next set of loud kicks happened.

"Yes, I know."Starscream said. "But it's time to recharge."

Kicks of protest sounded.

"I'm serious."Starscream said, a bit harsher now. "It's time for recharge."

Thankfully the knocking stopped, a few hours later. Starscream fell into an exhausted recharge, and slept in until late noon the next day. When he woke, he saw that an Autobot had been in there, as there was a fresh cube of energon in the room. Feeling very hungry, he quickly took it up and began to drink, grateful that he was at last past the morning sickness stage. He aslo grabbed the blank data-pad. He had been keeping an almost daily account on what happened during his time in his 'cell'.

Nearly two hours passed as he wrote. He had finished the cube in the first fifeteen minutes. His tank grinded loudly, letting him know that he was still very hungry. He wished to call one of the Autobots and beg them if he had to for some extra energon, but pride stopped him. He knew very well that the sparklings needed it, and the Autobots would most likely give it to him for the Seekerlings, but he just could not bring himself to do it. He set his journal aside and began to re-read the Cybertronian history book for about the third time. He could not bring himself to read the Seeker medical guide, although he did glance through it from time to time. A knock at the door drew him away from the pad.

"I see you're up."Ratchet announced as he entered.

Two bots ever really entered the berthroom prison, Optimus Prime and Ratchet. Ratchet came in almost every day, and Optimus sometimes accompainied him. Ratchet was alone this time, simply checking on the prisoner.

"Yes, Autobot."Starscream returned.

"You know, we all have names."Ratchet said as he sent the beam from his scanner over the Seeker.

"I know that."Starscream replied.

Ratchet didn't reply. He left the room, and returned a few moments later bearing an extra cube of low grade. He placed it on the small table before walking out again. Starscream remained silent, wondering how the medic knew but not caring enough to ask. All he knew was that the Seekerlings wanted that energon, and wanted it now.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was Bulkhead's turn to guard the prisoner. To 'guard' simply meant to sit in front of the door with a data-pad or some other from of entertainment and a cube of energon(in Bulkhead's case, High Grade). Everyone took turns guarding the door, seeing it more as taking a break then actual work. The only time a century was not at post at the door was at night, but then a systems of alarms would be placed at the door.

Bulkhead vented contentedly as he took a sip of his High Grade. He had a data-pad with him, just to flip through. It was the Cybertronian equivalent to a very outdated magazine. Before Bulkhead could get comfortable at his post, a strange noise reached his audios. It sounded almost like a fast gust of wind, and then it stopped. Then it would start again, and stop almost as quickly as it had started.

"Hey!"Bulkhead said, pounding on the door a bit. "Whatever you're doing, stop it."

A grumble came from the inside, but the wind noises stopped. Bulkhead settled down again, to look at his magazine and finish his cube. Again a noise distracted him, but this time it was different. It souded like material fluttering down, and then being snapped. Again and again and again. Bulkhead unlocked and opened the door. As the door slid up, Starscreams long legs came into view first, follwed by his large stomach area and then the rest of his frame.

"What are you doing?"Bulkhead asked.

Starscream ignored him. He was standing in the middle of the room with the warming blanket from the berth. He was shaking it, snapping it again and again to dislodge dirt and dust from it.

"Bulkhead, what is the meaning of this?"Optimus baritone voice came. "The rules are that this door is not to be opened, unless it is by Ratchet or myself."

"What is he doing?"Bulkhead asked, motioning towards the Seeker with the blanket.

Optimus looked, and his face showed a small amount of surprise. He called out to Ratchet, who came rather quickly.

"What is Starscream doing?"Optimus asked.

Ratchet took a quick look at the Seeker. He shrugged one of his shoulders.

"Cleaning."

"Okay..."Bulkhead started, his voise showing obvious confusion. "Why?"

Ratchet vented out, and walked over to the small table where and empty cube and the data-pads sat. Picking one up, he went back over to the ex-wrecker and Prime. He onlined the data-pad and quickly went to the section he was looking for.

"It's another sparked 'symptom' of Seekers."Ratchet said, tossing the data-pad at the Prime. "Kind of early for him to start 'nesting', so to speak, though."

"Is that harmful?"Optimus asked.

"It shouldn't be."Ratchet answered. "He's in his early fifth vorn This shouldn't be happening until late in his sixth."

Optimus nodded.

"You know, Optimus..."Ratchet started."We could use this to our advantage."

"How?"Bulkhead asked.

"Well, the base has gotten awful dirty as of late. You all are always off on patrols and the like, but I'm here all the time and a clean base is something I like."Ratchet said."If he see's something dirty, he's going to clean it off."

"Ratchet, we cannot let him out. It could be dangerous."Optimus said.

"Look at him, Optimus."Ratchet said. "He can barely get around as it is, and he was long since lost his ability to transform, even without a T-cog."

"What about 'Cee?"Bulkhead asked.

"I'll send her out on patrol."Ratchet said with a waive of his hand. "He'll get restless too if he doesn't clean up."

"If you believe that this arrangement will not be hazardous to anyone on base, then I leave you to make the decision."Optimus said.

Ratchet practically beamed. He could all ready picture a spotless base.

"Hey, Screamer."Ratchet started. "You did good in here, mind helping me elsewhere?"

Starscream gave him an odd look. "You want me to help you?"

"Clean, yes."Ratchet said.

"If you insist."Starscream quickly answered, trying to remain an indifferent attitude.

"You pull anything funny though..."Bulkhead let his voice trail off, letting the Seeker create his own assumptions.

Starscream glulped once. He felt a little shove on his back.

"Let's get going."Ratchet said rather eagerly.

-A few minutes later-

"This is disgusting."Starscream said in utter repulsion.

He was observing the main hangar, with it exhadgeratedly dirty floor. His heels left actual prints in the floor!

"Get stareted wherever you want."Ratchet said."Cleaning supplies are over there."

Starscream first observed what he had to clean with. A large bucket of warm water, cleaning solution, cleaning rags, polish, and two large sponges. Not bad, but would it be enough? Starscream quickly poured some of the cleaning solution into the bucket of warm water and stirred it around with his slender hand until soap suds formed and clung to him. He quickly shook them off. Taking up one of the sponges, he dipped it in the water and got down on his knees. He began to scrub up the dirt. He quickly realized his mistake. The water was turning the dirt to mud, and then getting on him. Growling with frustration, he rinsed off the sponge and used one of the rags to clean up the mud.

"What I need is a good broom."Starscream said to himself as he placed his hands in the air, as if holding a broom.

"Can't help you there." Ratchet replied, even though Starscream had barely muttered the words to himself.

Starscream went back to the cleaning supplies. He took another fresh cleaning rag and poured some of the polish onto it. He started to dust the moniters and spme of Ratchet's larger equipment. Ratchet stayed nearby, watching both the moniters and the Seeker. Ratchet had no idea how long he let Starscream clean; all he knew was that the longer Starscream stayed out, the better the base looked. He became lost in the moniters, not worrying about the heavy Starscream. A yelp and the powering up of blasters jerked Ratchet back to reality.

"What is he doing out here?"

"Please, it was the medic! He wanted me to-"

"Shut up."Arcee snapped, her blasters still pointed at him.

"Arcee, stand down."Ratchet ordered. "I let him out. I was watching him."

"Why was he out?"Arcee asked, her optics never leaving the Seeker who remained stil, afraid for his life and the life of his young.

"I-I was-"

"I said shut up, Starscream."Arcee spat.

"He was cleaning."Ratchet said harshly.

"Cleaning?"

"Yes, nobody else does it around here, except me when I find the time."Ratchet said. "Now stand down."

Arcee flipped her blasters back in, muttering to herself. She went to the other side of the room, her optics still glued to Starscream.

"I think you've done enough for one day."Ratchet said to the now nervous Screamer.

"All right."Starscream said, his pedes feeling rather tired.

He sat down with a heavy vent as the door to his cell closed and locked. He rubbed his hands over his faceplates tiredly, thoughts rumbling through his processor. He knew why that femme hated him, but did anyone ever think he had a choice? Did anyone ever think to wonder about why he lied about much, why he was rather 'cowardly? No. No one had ever thought about what had ever happened to that Seeker, never looking deep into his processor or spark for answers. Never asking him why he did something, or allowed him to tell the truth. No one ever helped him with anything, not even now. The Autobot medic was simply usuing him, as was everyone else. The Autobot medic was usuing him to clean the base, the Autobot leader had stated himself that he was only doing it for the good of the sparklings, and all Megatron had ever done was use him.

Starscream lay back, rubbing the temples of his helm. He closed his optics, trying to clear his processor. He muttered to himself, in a voice and tounge only he and hopefuly the Seekerlings would one day know. He spoke to himself in Seeker-cant.

"Nothing ever changes."


	4. Chapter 4 Starscream's Journal

Chapter 4 Starscream's Journal

Ratchet went up the halls towards the prisoner's cell. He was hoping that Starscream would be in his cleaning binge. He knocked a few times on the door, with no answer. He wasn't surprised. The Seeker was probably exhausted with the amount of sparklings in him, and now that he was going through some of his programmin early. He unlocked the door and placed a cube of energon on the table. He glanced at the Seeker.

Starscream lay curled on his side, his back to the medic. His wings were jerking about, and his entire frame was trembling. Ratchet quickly rolled him over. Starscream was limp, and his optics were only half shuttered. His lips were slowly moving in some sort of jargon.

"Starscream? Answer me."Ratchet ordered, shaking him gently.

There was no answer, that Ratchet could understand anyways. He continued to mutter in Seeker-cant.

"Optimus."Ratchet shouted through the halls.

Said mech soon joined the medic's side. He didn't ask what the problem was, as it was quite obvious. Ratchet left, and returned again with things from the med-bay. An injection soon found a way to the Seeker's servo, and a cooling cloth went on his forehelm.

"How did this happen?"Optimus asked.

Ratchet shook his helm. "He was fine yetserday."

Starscream shouted something in his naitive tongue, jerking voilently once before falling limp again and muttering.

"I-I don't speak Seeker-cant."Ratchet admitted.

"I know bits and pieces."Optimus said. "I am not fluent, but am able to pick out a few words that he is saying."

"And?"Ratchet pressed.

"Only names, Megatron is the most prominent and most used. Then he repeats two other names, and the rest I cannot figure out."Optimus translated as much as he could.

"What are the other names?"Ratchet asked.

"Two mechs, by the name of Skywarp and Thundercracker."Optimus replied.

Ratchet mulled that about his processor for a bit. "He must have worked himself up about something..."

Optimus nodded, and left Ratchet alone with the ill prisoner. Ratchet sat in the chair, watching Starscream for a bit. There was little change for a few hours. As time dragged on, Ratchet became more and more bored. He had to do something then just sit there. He had all ready done all he could for Scream. Ratchet glanced at the small table, and saw the data-pads that he had placed there months ago. He had no interest in the history or medical pad, but the blank one seemed quite interesting to him. He took it up, and onlined it.

"Prisoners can't have secrets."Ratchet told himself to make himself feel better. He looked down, and began to read.

_Day 1 _

_My first day as prisoner, where to start...The basics are the best, and how I got into this predicament. I was out of energon (surprise, surprise) and found a sole energy beacon on my moniter before it went out. Usuing what little energon was left in my ground bridge, I went to investigate. The signal turned out to be of Autobot origin, but they left before either of us knew of the other. When I tried to return back, my bridge failed, leaving me alone to die. I walked for bleems, fell a few times in that awful frozen water called 'snow' and 'ice'. I fell once, and decided that there was no point in getting up again (that feeling was not new to me in any way). I curled up, and waited. The next thing I knew, I was gasping for air and surrounded by Autobots. They had found me, and thawed me. Their medic discovered that I was sparked (although this was no surprise to me). They decided to take me as prisoner. Can one really take one who is a NEUTRAL prisoner though? _

_That was yesterday though. Today was different. Had a terrible bout of morning sickness, but for once had something in me to expell. Later on they tried to clamp my wings. They didn't know I had lost my T-cog to that wretched orginazation called MECH, that is run by filthy humans. Even if I did, would a clamp really have kept me 'imprisoned' and grounded? I could have simply fired at them, but as I had no T-cog nor any reason to attack..._

_I miss my trine mates terribly. They come to this mudball of a planet, find me, and then leave once they discover I have no means of going with them._

The first entry ended there.

"Who are your trine mates?"Ratchet asked the half concious Seeker. "A Neutral, huh?"

Ratchet skimmed through until he found a section that interested him.

_Day 15_

_I had that same dream again last night, the one about Megatron fragging me. It happened exactly they way it happened. The Autobots won some simple, stupid battle, and Megatron once again took it out on me with a violent, one-sides interface. At least I only dremt of the simpler frags, I hate it when I dream about that time... The time the Autobot's destroyed the Space Bridge. When Megatron woke up again... I didn't think I was going to live through that fragging... Knock Out even had some trouble piecing me back together._

Ratchet didn't care to read more of that entry. The thought of a leader, or anyone for that matter, raping someone repeatdly. It was sickening. Optimus was going to have to go through this journal later. Ratchet decided to continue reading on his own though. He was begining to worry that maybe the Seekerlets were Megatron's.

_Day 26_

_I miss my trine mates so much it hurts. Skywarp and Thundercracker... they did this to me and left! They didn't care enough about me to try and devise a way to free me from this planet, nor did they leave me any energon to try and sustain me. They simply gave me a quick frag, and left me with 7 Seekerlings. If I ever see them again, I swear I will kill them. I see them in my dream cycles, I think about then nonstop, I cry almost every time I think about them... Why, I have no idea. They do not deserve my tears, after what they did._

Ratchet was rather relieved to discover that the Seekerlets were not Megatron's. This made it easier on both him and Starscream.

_Day 39_

_I hate that stupid Autobot femme! I know that she hates me as well, but she has no idea what and who she is dealing with. Just today she was supposed to guard the door, why I have no idea. I have no desire to attempt a 'break out', and doubt that even if I did I wouldn't be able to get very far. Anyways, for some reason my trine mates entered my mind again, before the war... We would have such times together, Skywarp always knew how to turn me on and Thundercracker always did this thing with his wings. _

Ratchet skipped ahead a bit, as Starscream not only got very detailed about his daydream, but continued to ramble for quite some time.

_Anyways, back to the Autobot femme. I started to cry, thinking about them. I hate them with ever fiber of my being, but want my Seekerlings to have their Sire figures around. She became angered at my rather quiet tears, and pounded on the door. She told me in a none too tactful manner to shut up or she would rip off my wings and shove them up...well, you or...I get the picture. She told me I had no right to cry, as I was one who killed her partner, Cliffjumper. She went on to say how she should be the one crying, or beating me... I snapped at her, telling her that she didn't understand. The door slid open, and the rather angry femme entered. She threatened me, and my sparklings. It took everything in my not to attack her at that moment, and I was greatly realived when she finally stormed out._

_She honestly believes that I killed the Autobot Cliffjumper in cold energon! If that Arcee had any processor, she would see that I had no choice! Megatron was returning, and had ordered me to get him a test subject for something called 'Dark Energon'. Obviously, a test subject was an Autobot. Megatron wished for me to kill him. If I had not, we both would be offline today. That fragging pylon of a femme is to thick helmed to open up her optics and see the bigger picture. If I had not killed Cliffjumper, not only would I be dead as well as he, another Autobot would have been captured and killed for expiramental purposes._

Ratchet grunted a bit as he read on. Arcee was going to have to be dealt with, for going into the brig without permission, and also for harrasing the prisoner. Any carrier was naturally protective of their young, born or unborn. A Seeker was even moreso as they had more at once. It was a miracle in itself that Arcee had left that rather one-sided conversation unscathed, let alone in one piece.

"There is an entire side to you that we never knew."Ratchet admitted.

He skimmed ahead, trying to find any clues as to why the Seeker was in this current state. There seemed to be no real answer. He got a bit more clues to Starscream's past though, how he was treated on the 'Nemesis'. He had gotten beaten more times then Ratchet cared to count, Megaron used him as a stress release frag toy, he was constantly double crossed and abused in other countless ways, and the journel didn't even tell everything. There were only a few more written pages left in the journal, and they were useless in telling Ratchet why Starscream was rather sick right now. The last entry though, gave the medic such horrible guilt that he was ashamed of himself.

_Day 72_

_I am not surprised, though I am dissapointed. I shouldn't have expected anything to be different of change. Today one of my carrer protocals came into play, the 'nesting one. When I woke up this morning the room looked absolutely filthy. The blanket was dusty, as was th elittle table in the corner. As I had no rag to dust the table off, I began to blow on it. That seemed to annoy the wrecker at the door, who told me to stop. How was it hurting him any? Anyways, I got the warming blanket from the berth and used it as a giant dusting rag for that little table. The table was then clean, but the blanket filthy. I shook it out, snapping it hard to get out all the dust. This annoyed the wrecker enough to come into the room and see what I was doing. He asked, and I ignored him. If he was stupid enough not to notice the obvious, then there was no point in telling him. Th Prime came in, scolded the wrecker (that must have been one of the gentles scoldings I have ever seen) and then called the medic in. He told them what I was doing. Then he said that they could use my carrier instincts 'to their advantage'. He didn't even care that I was in the room before announcing that he wished to use me. He got me cleaning equipment (the only thing he didn't do was put me in a white laced black apron with matching hat), and set me to work. He didn't even have a broom! _

_Aside from my ranting, somthing rather nice happened to make this day worth living. Late last night, one of my sparklings kicked, loud enough for me to hear. A few followed suit, and made quite a racket for a few bleems._

_I don't think I'll write anymore. I'm tired, my helm hurts, and I'm not feeling very well. I'm going to bed. It has been a rather long and dissapointing day._

That was the last entry in the journal. Doing some quick calculations, Ratchet placed the log to the previous day. His hunch on Starscream working himself up had been true, but it seemed that it had taken quite awile for him to snap and actually become ill. Ratchet felt rather bad, having had a hand in the Seeker's emotional pain. He glanced at the blank page in the book a second.

"See something in there you like?"a tired voice made Ratchet's helm snap up.

"I was simply looking through it."Ratchet said."A prisoner-"

"Cannot have secrets, yes."Starscream finished for him with a dry chuckle."Keep telling yourself that."

The Seeker coughed once, closing his optics. Ratchet knew that all that he needed, was a long rest. No running from enemies, no scrounging for energon, no worry from Megatron, no worry from Decepticons, no worry from the Autobots.

"Get some recharge."Ratchet said."That is a medical order."

Starscream scoffed and rolled his optics a bit, but was in a deep recharge within fifeteen minutes.


	5. Chapter 5 More Seeker Symptoms

Chapter 5 More Seeker Symptoms

Starscream wandered to one side of the room until his wings touched the wall. He then slowly wandered over to the other side until his wings brushed the other wall. He vented heavily. A soft knocking came from his stomach area.

"Yes."Starscream said in a hallow voice. "I'm bored too."

Starscream wandered about the room again, always ending up in the same spot. After a few more moments, Starscream felt a familar sensation. It was just with more urgency. He bit his bottom lip, debating whether or not to call an Autobot. He had his pride you know, well, what was left of it. He grumbled to himself as he 'danced' a bit in spot. After a few more seconds, he sat down on the edge of the berth. A minute passed, and now the Seekers legs were tightly crossed. What would be less humiliating? Calling for an Autobot, or waiting until it was too late. Starscream vented. Hopefully whoever was standing guard at his door wasn't the Prime or that femme, Arcee.

"Um...can I come out?"Starscream asked loudly.

He was answered with silence. He heard somebody shift out there, showing that whoever it was heard him and wasn't asleep.

"Please?"

Again, there was silence. Starscream made a small whimpering noise, audible only to himself. He bounced on the side of the berth a bit.

"It's kind of urgent."he said, his voice rather small.

The door slid open and Optimus stood there. It just had to be him, didn't it? The only bot worse would have been Arcee. That didn't matter now, the door had opened enough and Optimus had steeped in enough for Starscream to slip by and run up the halls.

"Starscream!"Optimus shouted.

Ratchet quickly came up, only to be nearly run over by the Seeker as he dashed into the Wash Racks. Optimus stopped as he saw where Starscream had run. Ratchet looked like he was going to burst out laughing, but managed to reduce it to a dry chuckle.

"It's all right, Optimus."Ratchet said. "I don't think he's trying to escape."

Optimus nodded, thankful for his battle mask at time like this. He found it nearly impossible to wipe the smirk off from underneath it. The flush of a latrine sounded.

"He's got seven Seekerlings sitting on his waste tank."Ratchet said, if only to speak.

The door to the Wash Racks opened, and Starscream stepped out. He had a look of humility, embarrasment, and relief on his face. He chuckled nervously, trying to look at the floor, but dinding that he could not look past the enermously swollen thing he had once called his stomach.

"It's all right, Starscream."Optimus said. "I doubt you had control over it."

"You got that right."Starscream mumbled under his breath.

To his immense surprise, his pedes began to feel extremely weak. They began to shake violently.

"Are you all right?"Ratchet asked, watching as the Seeker reached for the wall.

"Fine, medic."Starscream replied, a bit harsher then he meant though.

With a grunt, his pedes buckled and he began to sink to the floor.

"What the frag?"Starscream exclaimed as his knees hit the floor.

"You finally got too heavy for your pedes to handle."Ratchet answered, his face showing that he was immensly entertained.

Optimus wanted to pick up the Seeker and carry him back to the berth, but knew tha Starscream was too heavy for even him to carry. All he could do was offer his servo as a support for the trip up the hall. Starscream relunctantly took the help.

"Well if this isn't humiliating."Starscream muttered as he clutched the Prime's servo.

"It's not your fault."Optimus answered.

Starscream was very glad when he was back in the berth. His pedes were aching now. He vented heavily as he lay down, thankful to be able to put his feet up. Those heels his wonderful creators had blessed him with were not some of the best things to try and walk in when you were almost seven months sparked. Ratchet and Optimus left without a word, leaving the Seeker to himself. To his surprise, they didn't close the door. Probably in case he had to 'go' again, and now that his pedes didn't support him there was no need for the door to be closed anymore. A soft knocking came from his stomach, reminding him of their existance.

"I know you're there."Stasrcream said. "Honestly, I can't wait to meet you all, even if it means the Autobots take you away instantly."

The thought began to sadden the Seeker, until a most heavenly sent floated into the room. Starscream tried to sit up, but found himself unable. The Autobot scout was walking by the door, somthing a reddish brown in his mouth. It was giving off the most delicious scent.

"Um, scout?"Starscream asked."What is that?"

/This?/Bumblebee whirred, removing a rod shapped thing from his mouth. Starscream nodded./A rust stick, Why?/

"It smells wonderful."Starscream said, closing his optics and inhaling it deeply.

/Um...thanks/ Bumblebee beeped, not knowing what was going on. /Do you want one?/

"Yes! Please."Starscream exclaimed.

Bumblebee was a bit surprised. /All right... Be right back/

"I'm not going anywhere."Starscream vented.

Bumblebee soon returned, a handful of rust sticks in his hand. He handed one to Starscream. He had never seen anyone so eager for a piece of candy. He seemed to savor ever suck on it, and even closed his optics to enhance the flavour.

"Thank you, scout."Starscream said. "These are heavenly. I must admit that I have never tasted any like it."

/I made it/Bumblebee admitted, rather happy from the compliments. /You can't really buy a pack of rust sticks on this planet/

Starscream nodded, contentedly sucking on his treat. Bumblebee placed the rest of the sticks on the small table and left, before he got in trouble. Starscream lay on the berth until even the sticky flavour was dissolved from his mouth. He glanced at the table, where the rest of the sticks sat. He wanted another one but had no way of getting them as the medic had just placed him on berthrest. He growled a bit in frustration as the rust sticks practically called his name. He could take it no longer, and decided that if he went quickly, all would be fine.

He tried to sit straight up, only to find that his stomach was much to large to allow him such motion. Venting in agitation, ha lay back down on his wings, wincing a bit as all that weight was pressed on his wings. He tried to roll onto his side, towards the edge of the berth, but his wings stuck out in such a way that it renderd him unable to get up that way. He tried to roll to the other side, but the same thing happened.

"Really?"Starscream asked himself, very irrateted.

He tried to sit up straight again, but again found himself flat on his wings and back. He threw himself foward, reaching with his servos and grunting. He fell back, panting a bit. He leaned back into the berth, and jerked foward again, frantically trying to grab on to the air with his servos. He again found himself on his back. Before he could try again, he heard snickering coming from the open door. Quickly he turned his helm to see the Autobot medic standing there, snorting at him. He had some sort of equipment with him, large enough to be pushed.

"Funny, is it?"Starscream asked, not amused himself.

"From my point of view."Ratchet answered, pushing the equipment beside the bed.

Starscream snorted once. He eyed the equipment warily. Ratchet, on the other hand, was looking at something on the table with great interest.

"Where did you get those?"Ratchet asked, pointing at the rust sticks.

Starscream rolled his optics a bit. "You're scout gave them to me."

Ratchet gave a quick nod of his helm. Ratchet and the large machine were now next to the Seeker's berth.

"What are you doing?"Starscream asked as Ratchet took a small squeasy bottle out from the side of the machine.

"You'll see."Ratchet answered.

The tip of the bottle went above the Seeker's stomach plating, and Ratchet squeezed it hard. Starscream gave a small shout of surprise and disgust as a liquid goo splatted out of the nozzle tip and onto him.

"What are you doing?"Starscream exclaimed."That's stick and cold!"

"Calm down."Ratchet said, scoffing a bit. "You can clean it off once I'm done."

Starscream muttered something under his breath in Seeker-cant as Ratchet took a small, pyramid shaped extention off of the side of the moniter. It was attached by a spiraled cord. Ratchet placed the handheld paort of this device on top of Starscream's stomach and right in the goop. He moved it about. A black screen on the main part of the machine became all shades of black, white, and gray. Twisting and turning became visible, and something that souned like multiple little drums being beaten sounded throughout the room.

"Is that-"

Ratchet nodded. "The sparklings' sparkbeats."

Starscream stared at the screen, his optics large. For the first time, he was able to see what was actually inside him. He saw the multiple bodies seemingly tangled together. Starscream snapped himself back to reality though.

"Why are you showing me this?"Starscream asked. All he could think about was that they were only bound to be separated.

"You want to know what they are, right?"Ratchet asked.

Starscream wanted to say 'no'. Knowing what they were would only make it harder when they were taken away. Instead, he found himself saying the complete opposite.

"Yes."

Ratchet nodded, moving the handheld part through the slime again. He stared long and hard at the screen for many minutes. He vented out and moved the ultrasound about.

"I can't get a good enough angle."Ratchet said. "I can only make out a few."

"Well?"Starscream asked.

"I can make out one femme, and three mechs."Ratchet answered.

"That's only four. What about the other three?"Starscream asked, a bit more eagerly then he would have like.

Ratchet looked again, moving the pyramid over the large stomach. After a few second he vented out.

"I can't make them out. Possibly another mech...or maybe that's a femme."Ratchet thought outloud.

"Never mind."Starscream said. After thinking for a second, Starscream asked a question just for the heck of it. "How far along am I?"

"About seven vorns."Ratchet answered. "You have two left."

Ratchet pressed a small, blue button on the side as he took the pyramid piece off of Starscream and wiped the gel from it. He replaced it, and took a cleaning rag from his subspace. We wiped the gel from Starscream and tossed it on top of the moniter to be cleaned. He reached underneath the machine and took out a blank data-pad. He plugged it into the side of the machine a moment pefore unplugging it, observing it, and turning it off.

"Here."Ratchet said, handing the blackened pad to the Seeker.

"What is this?"Starscream asked.

"Why don't you turn it on and find out?"Ratchet asked, pushing the machine back to med-bay.

Starscream waited a bit to turn it on, all ready having a hunch as to what it was. Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he turned it on. The screen flickered on, revealing the image that had been captured by the ultrasound. The seven Seekerlets that were constantly moving about were frozen in mid-motion on the screen. Tiny buds on their backs showed where their wings would be. The wings would be completely formed when they were born.

Starscream vented as he pressed the picture close to his chasis, right above his spark


	6. Chapter 6 Search

Chapter 6 Search

A soft moan came from the open door.

"Scream?"Ratchet asked, peeking in.

Starscream was on his berth. His optics were closed, and he was cradling the top of his helm with his hands. Ratchet quickly entered. He lay a hand on the Seeker's helm. He wasn't warm, so he couldn't be ill. He placed a hand on Starscream's shoulder as another soft moan escaped the flyer's lips.

"Starscream, what's wrong?"Ratchet asked.

Starscream slowly shook his helm. He seemed a bit out of it, as if he couldn't process everything that was around him. He started to try and push himself up. Ratchet took his hand and helped him up the rest of the way and onto his pedes. He started to slowly waddle about the room, as if looking for something. Ratchet's optics widened as he realized what was happening.

"Optimus."Ratchet called. "You had best come here."

"What is it, old friend?"Optimus asked as he entered the room.

"It's Starscream."Ratchet started. "He's starting."

"What is he starting?"Optimus asked. "And looking for?"

Optimus had noticed that the Seeker had been pacing about the room, looking under the berth multiple times as well as under the table.

"He's preparing for the Seekerets' emergence."Ratchet said. "He is looking for a place to have them."

"Could he not simply be taken to the med-bay?"Optimus asked.

Ratchet started to shake his helm. "Well...he might choose the med-bay, if we're is another one of those things only Seeker's do."

"Would you mind explaining it a bit more?"Optimus asked.

"Not at all."Ratchet replied. "But not in here. I'd rather tell everyone at once."

Optimus nodded. He started to leave, but stopped. "And what of Starscream?"

"Let's go, Scream."Ratchet said, paying no attention to the Prime. He gave the Seeker a small push out of the room.

"You are letting him out?"Optimus asked in a slightly warning tone, as if to ask why he had not asked permission first.

"He's not going to try and escape."Ratchet said. "He's just going to wander around a bit. He'll be pretty lethargic."

Optimus gave a nod as he then went into the main hangar. Ratchet followed. Starscream slowly made his way with them, checking places like under the moniters and behind the sofa and the like.

"Ratchet, what's he doing out of his room?"Bulkhead asked.

"He's looking for a proper place to have his Seekerlets."Ratchet explained, as the others were there all ready.

"Why?"Arcee asked, bristiling as Starscream neared her.

"Because it's what Seekers do."Ratchet said matter-of-factly."If his trine mates were here, they would be helping him. That, or they would be doing it for him while he rested."

"So what do we do?"Bulkhead asked.

"Keep a close optics on him."Ratchet said. "Seekers are known for having many complications during birth, due to the amount they have at once. And don't get in his way."

/All right/Bumblebee beeped and nodded.

"One more thing."Ratchet said. "I would lock your berthrooms, unless that is, you don't mind having sven Seekerlets delivered in your room."

Bumblebee let out a loud beep and ran to his room, quickly locking it. Arcee couldn't help but chuckle at the burst of speed Bumblebee had put on in his haste to make his room off limits. Arcee followed his example though, closing and locking her own berthroom. The only ones who left their rooms open were Ratchet and Optimus, which made sense when one thought about it.

Starscream wandered all over the base, in and out of storage closets, in and out of the med-bay, Ratchet's lab room, a storage room, the energon vault, and so on. He never seemed to find a place though.

Morning turned to night, and Starscream still wandered. His ankles were becoming quite swollen, and the place where his foot touched his elevated heel was also very sore and swollen. He was in the med-bay when his pedes finally couldn't take it anymore. He curled up under a medical berth, on his side and his back to everyone.

"What is he doing now?"Bulkhead asked, looking at the wings sticking out from uder the berth.

"Probably just resting."Ratchet answered.

Soft breaths came from beneath the berth, proving that he had fallen into recharge.

"Is he going to stay under there?"Bulkhead inquired.

"Possibly, but not likely." Ratchet said, warming oil on a burner.

"What's that for?"Bulkhead asked.

"Do you ever not ask questions?"Ratchet exclaimed. "He's probably going to get up in a few hours and start looking again. His pedes are to swoolen though. I was simply going to rub some warm oil on them to reduce the swelling and pain before I went to bed. Is that all right with you?"

"Um...yeah."Bulkhead replied quickly. "Wait, who's going to watch him?"

"You are."Ratchet replied, dipping his hands in the warm oil and rubbing them on the swollen joints.

"Me?"Bulkhead asked.

"Just keep an optic on him."Ratchet said. "Then someone else will, and then you can go to bed."

"Fine."Bulkhead mumbled.

Ratchet gave a quick nod and got up. "If you see any major changes in him, get me and Optimus."

"All right."Bulkhead said. He started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"Ratchet asked.

"To watch some television, there's nothing else to do."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Starscream was again walked around, mumbleing in Seeker-cant. He waddled, as he was too large to walk normaly. Bulkhead switched between watching him and the television until he fell asleep on the sofa, leaving the lethargic Seeker to roam the base.

Starscream went up the halls, many doors in each side. He tried the first one, only to find it locked. He tryed to open it a bit, but gave up after awhile. A buzzing whirr of relief sounded from inside. He went to the next door and tried it. A metalic noise came from the inside, like someone jumping up from their berth.

"Go away."Arcee growled.

Starscream was too 'gone' to understand what she was saying, and only heard her angry tone. Muttering back to her in Seeker-cant, he 'walked' to the next door. It slid open, much to his relief. He went inside, and looked about. There was a large orange and white mech in the berth, snoring rather loudly. Starscream shook his helm and staggered out. His senses were hightened to what his Seekerlets' would be. It was much too noisy for both him and his Seekerlets in there. He went to the next room and found it locked. There was only one berthroom left. He tried it, and it slid open. Carefully creeping in, he looked about the dark room.

It was very spacious, and dark, and quiet. It looked rather good to him. He looked about. There was a mech in the berth, but that didn't bother him any. He went under it, but it was much too cold. Somehow he managed to get up again, and looked around. All that was left was under a desk. He slowly got on his hands and knees, and crawled under it. Much too late he found out that it was too small. His wing was stuck in the corner of it, and his heel was stuck on the leg of the desk.

Starscream muttered to himself in his naitive tongue. It didn't wake up the mech in the berth though. With a heavy vent, Starscream tried to free himself. All he managed to do was pull on his wing in a painful way. He let out a yelp, and grumbled. The mech shifted and sat up in the berth. His optics instantly fell on the Seeker under the desk. He got up, and knelt down next to him.

"Starscream, are you stuck?"Optimus asked gently.

Starscream muttered again in Seeker-cant, his carrier protocals seeming to have made him unable to speak any other language at the time. That, or was just too dazed and lathargic to try and speak in any other language except the one he was raised in.

"Let me help you."Optimus said, reaching out.

Carefully, he pushed the wing down, and allowed the Seeker to climb out a bit. Since Starscream was still on his hands and knees and his stomach was actually touching the ground more then a bit, Optimus had to help the Seeker up as well. It was obvious that he was a bit embarrassed about his previous predicament and said something to Optimus. Optimus, though he knew a bit of it himself was not able to answer back. The Seeker had simply thanked him.

Starscrean then left the room, again searching for a place. Optimus went and relieved Bulkhead of guard duty.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Ratchet, he just stole your heating blankets!"Arcee excalimed.

"I know, Arcee."Ratchet returned, getting very irratatated with the femme."But is he really stealing if I put then out for him?"

"You are letting him get away with too much."Arcee said sharply.

"Am I?"Ratchet asked. "Do you know him?"

"Of course not. I don't want to."Arcee said."And you don't know him either."

"I know him better then you."Ratchet returned.

"Oh, yeah?"Arcee shot back. "How?"

A data-pad was quickly launched at the femme. She caught it before it could hit her helm, where it was being aimed.

"Read it."Ratchet ordered.

Arcee grumbled, but took it anyways. She went to her berthrom and slammed it closed before locking it. She started to flip through it, reading everything Ratchet had. Very little had been added since then. A few things stood out to the femme though, that Ratche had never read.

_Day 93_

_Today was my creation day. Nobody knows but me. Nobody in this base, on the 'Nemesis', or even my trine mates know when I was born. I like to keep it that way. I never did anything for it anyways, not even when I was little. I don't even know how old I am... I'd rather keep it that way. You're as old as you feel, right?_

Arcee skipped ahead a bit. There was nothing worth reading on the other pages.

_Day 100_

_Today not only marks my 100th day as 'prisoner' amongst the Autobots, but also my first attempt to rid the universe of Megatron, and later on my first 'treatment' given by Megatron himself. Poison in his energon, who would have thought that he could smell it! I made sure that nothing was wrong with it though (other then the poison). I swear it had no scent! Luckily he didn't force me to drink that as he has other things... instead he gave me a few vorns in the brig with many visitations from him and his electric whip. Ah, those where the days._

Arcee couldn't hold back an involuntary shudder. She couldn't immaging Optimus beating her once, let alone multiple times. She flipped ahead until she came across some very detailed accounts of Starscream and his trine mates. As she neared the end, a few more short entries stood out to her.

_Day 157_

_My creators, Silverflash (my carrier) and Skybomber (my sire) offlined on this day. I was still rather young when it happened. It was the begining of the Wars on Cybertron. Many tribes of Seekers had been getting attacked, and we had been trying to avoid the Decepticons. We were able to avoid a confrontation for many vorns, but they caught us none the less. Every mech and femme over a certain age was offlined in the Great Massacre, and ever youngling, sparkling, and Seekerling was taken by the Decepticons. As my captors took me, my siblings, and my friends to one of their many 'reconstruction camps', I vowed that one day I would rid the planet of the one who did that. The one who took my creators, my family, everything and everyone I had ever known. Look at the good job I've done so far. I have failed so many times that I have run out of digits to count them all with._

Arcee stopped there. She remembered when the Great Massacre had happened. She had been pretty young herself at the time, but the sadness in her creators' optics and the amount of younglings seen in the 'reconstruction camps' were burned into her processor.

The Great Massacre was one of the worst battles on Cybertron. It had not been a battle though, as those who had tried to rise up and fight had been instantly silenced. The Massacre had been for mainly the Seeker tribes, although those caught helping the Seekers were also offlined. Every bot of age, maning out of their youngling frames, had been tied with their hands behind their back, and forced to their knees. Then Decepticon soilders powered up their wepons, and shot them all. Not one survivor had come back from the Great Massacre.

'Reconstruction camps' had been formed to brainwash younglings and sparklings to do what the Decepticons wished, and train them as fighters and warriors on their side. They were basically a youngling's prison. There where sleeping houses where bunk after uniform bunk sat, it was gated in with a high power energy gate with curled elctric barbed wire on top. They were energized so high that one touch was enough to amost kill a youngling, or kill them if they had a weak spark or the like.

Arcee vented as she read ahead.

_Day 176_

_Today is the day I lost what was left of my family. My siblings; Skyfire, Sonic, Skydive, and Silverbolt, were offlined today. Rather fitting that they went together, it's easier to remember the day. They were sent as frontliners at the Battle of Praxus. The Autobots talk of this battle as a lost for them and a win for the Decepticons, but they couldn't be farther from the truth. The reason Praxus lays as a pile of rubble is that once it was conquered, it was lost. The Autobots had more survivors then we did that day. Every single one of my siblings died that day, at the hands of both the Autobots, and of a malfunctioned explosion. I was not there that day, or else I wouldn't be here now. I never was much of a fighter, too weak by the Deceptcons' standards. I was behind a deask, doing paperwork. Nobody even bothered to tell me that they had passed on. I found out myself as I filled out reports on casualties and losses._

_Not only were my siblings the only family I had left after the Great Massacre, but we were all from the same liter. We all had a unique bond together, similar to that of grounder twins. I felt when they went, but had no idea what it was until I could not talk to them over this bond and when I saw the KIA papers._

Arcee couldn't read anymore. It reminded her too much of her family. She had lost her creators in a battle, and her sisters were out in space somewhere. She set the pad aside. Her history wasn't at all like the Seeker's, though there were many striking similaritys. Her creators had been offlined during a battle, and she had lost her sisters. They were not offlined though, but instead floating somewhere in space. Arcee had also read the insert Starscream had written abot Cliffjumper. It did make sense, in a twisted way. It still hurt all the same, but maybe Starscream had been right in a way. A

Arcee shook her helm, she would have to think about it. She had alot to think about.


	7. Chapter 7 Time

Chapter 7 Time

It had been almost two days since Starscream had started his search for a proper 'birthing area'. Random items then started to dissapear. Blankets, clean rags, towels and anything soft like that. Ratchet had said that he was making a place for the Seekerlets to be, somplace soft and warm. Bulkhead had nicknamed it a 'nest' after seeing a picture of what it looked like.

"Do not follow him though, or try and discover where his 'nest' is."Ratchet said, usuing Bulkhead's term.

/Why not?/Bumblebee whistled and beeped, sounding rather dissapointed.

"Do you want him to start searching again? His trine mates aren't here to protect him, or offer support. He is doing this on his own, in a way. If his nest is discovered, it'll feel compromised to him and he'll move it." Ratchet explained.

"He's doing it on his own?"Arcee asked, having had a slight change of spark after reading the journal.

"In his mind he is."Ratchet said. "I'll be there, obviously."

"How will you know when his time has come?"Optimus asked the medic.

"I put a little tracker on him while he was sleeping."Ratchet said with a smirk. "It'll tell me exactly where he is, and when he starts to go into labour."

"Not that this isn't great and all."Bulkhead started, finishing off the cube of ebergon he had in his hand. "But I'm going to turn in for the night."

Bumblebee and Arcee agreed with the ex-wrecker, and retired to their rooms as well. Optimus and Ratchet were up still, as usual. Starscream wandered about the main hangar, looking for any blankets he might had missed. Ratchet chuckled a bit, thinking about the towels and blankets he had locked away in a cupboard in the med-bay. He was going to need something to clean the Seekerlets off with, and he was quickly running out of rags.

"Ratchet."Optimus started. " I have always believed that carriers were to carry for nine months or vorns, is it not early for Starscream."

Ratchet nodded. "It is. The Seekerlets are going to be born premature, but not much. It's actually pretty normal, for how many he's carrying."

Optimus nodded. He turned his attention to a moniter. Ratchet went to another moniter, as the two usually did at night. Little attention was given to the Seeker, as they were used to his mumbling and waddling. What they weren't used to, was the hiss and yelp of pain behind them. Both mechs turned around to see Starscream clutching his extended stomach area, and his pedes very near to buckling.

"Easy."Ratchet said as both he and Optimus rushed over to support him.

Starscream ventelated air through his systems heavily. The pain didn't seem to want to go away. He gasped as it sharpened again, and then ebbed away as he breathed out.

"Are you all right?"Ratchet asked.

Starscream simply nodded, although his optics showed that he was still in some pain. He left Optimus' and Ratchet's grip and began to walk around again. Ratchet turned to Optimus.

"I'm going to turn in now."Ratchet told the Prime. "I don't want to be falling asleep when he's in labour."

"So that leaves me to watch him."Optimus stated.

"No, of course not."Ratchet returned. "I have the tracker on him. He'll be fine on his own for now."

With that, Ratchet bid a hasty good night and left for his room. After carefully going over the pros and cons, Optimus decided that he to should turn in. Ratchet might need some assistance and it wouldn't help any if Optimus was tired. He passed the Seeker as he went into his berthroom and closed the door, making sure to keep it unlocked.

Starscream walked around a bit. After an hour his intakes became more and more laboured. he doubled over more then once, and even fell once as the pains in his med-section became worse and worse. When he was trying to stand up, he noticed something red blinking on his pede. Having no idea what it was, his carrier protocals saw it as a threat and he tore it off, throwing it away with metalic clinking. It rolled under a crate, and out of sight.

Starscream groaned a bit as he somehow managed to push himself up, usuing the wall as a support. Just as he was about to release the wall and straighten up, something snapped inside of him. He felt a warm liquid gush and then trickle down his pedes. He looked down and moved awat to see that a brown liquid had pooled up beneath him. Before he could even process what had just happened, a sharp pain struck him. It felt different and hurt worse then the others had. He let out a shout that he was not able to keep down, and began to make his way to his hiding spot.

OoOoOoOoO

Ratchet's fine-tuned audios picked up the shout as soon as it was released. Jumping from his berth he ran to the door and slid it open. To his surprise, the base was unusually quiet. He went into the med-bay, to look for the Seeker. Seeing that he wasn't there, he turned to look in another room. Something red and bliking flashed over the dusty floor, from under the dark protection of a crate. Bending down and reaching under, he pulled out the tracker.

"Slag."Ratchet cursed.

He quickly went and pounded on Optimus door, waking up Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee in the process.

"What are you doing?"Arcee's slightly groggy voice came as he door slid open.

/Ratch?/Bumblebee whirred as he rubbed his optics.

"What is it, old friend?"Optimus asked as he materialized besides the medic.

"Spread out and look for Starscream."Ratchet said.

"Don't you have your tracker?"Bulkhead asked.

Ratchet threw it at the ex-wrecker, shutting him right up. Everyone knew it was better to keep their mouths shut and look for the Seeker then to say anything else to Ratchet. Ratchet went towards the med-bay, Optimus and Bulkhead the main hangar, Bumblebee some spare rooms, and Arcee looked through storage.

"Scream?"Arcee asked as she opened up one of the doors. It opened with an eerie creak.

The light shone across the undisturbed, dusty floor. Venting out, Arcee closed it and went to the next one. Before reaching it, she jumped back before stepping in a brown puddle. Following a drip trail, she went to a storage room near the back of base. It led to a closed door. Sliding it open, Arcee called in.

"Starscream, are you in here?"

She was just about to close it when a soft, barely audibly moan hit her audios. She went in, and found Starscream and his nest. He was curled up atop the blankets, panting heavily. His optics were shuttered tight, and his wings pressed close to his back. He arched his back a bit as he tried to sit up, and law back down in his side with a heavy moan.

"Ratchet, I found him."Arcee called loudly from where she stood.

Starscream shuddered and covered his audios. All of his senses were very sharp and hightened right now, to what the Seekerlets would be. They would be sensitive to bright light and noise, and they would be cold and hungry.

"Sorry, Scream."Arcee apologized quickly. She chuckled a bit to herself. Never in eons would she ever believe that she would be the one apologizing to that Seeker.

"Where are you?"Ratchet called out in the hall, causing Starscream to clasp his hands even firmer around his audios.

Arcee went to the door and practically dragged the medic into the room. She gave him a shove in the right direction and pointed at the Seeker atop of all the blankets that hed been dissapearing around base. Ratchet knelt down next to him, scanning him. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee had joined the medic and femme in the storage room, and watched as the medic did his duty.

"Easy, Starscream."Ratchet said as the Seeker yelped at a particuarlly painful contraction. "Get on your back."

"With these wings?"Starscream weakly argued, motioning to the long wings on his middle back.

"Retract them."Ratchet said.

"I can do that?"Starscream asked in slight shock.

To his surprise, he was able to retract them to about about Bumblebee's length. He was then able to press them against his back a bit more, making it even easier for him to roll onto his back. His ventalitions sounded different now, more like a gasping pant. He grunted as another pain rippled through his large stomach, it visibly tensing.

"Get ready, Scream."Ratchet said. "Next contraction, push."

Starscream only nodded. It wasn't long until he was curling up on himself, as Ratchet helped the Seekerlet through emergence. Starscream gasped and shouted in pain as he pushed a total of four times, and fell back panting. Ratchet had the small, energon covered sparkling in a towel. He was cleaning it off, revealing it's gray color. Most Seekers were gray, and had their colors in a stripe on their wings. Starscream was that way, as he had his wings with red coloring on them.

"It's a mech."Ratchet said, allowing Starscream see the small gray Seekerlet.

He had deep sunflower yellow on his wings, and called out to his carrier for food and warmth. Ratchet wrapped him up in a blanket and lay him down next to the radiator, which was one of the many reasons Starscream had chosen this room.

"Can't I hold him?"Stasrcream pleaded.

"I would let you,but the next one looks like it'll be here in less then ten minutes."Ratchet answered.

Ratchet could not have been any more right. In less then seven and a half minutes, a second Seekerlet drew it's first intake. A small femme with soft pink strips on her wings, like when the sun sets in it's lightest hues. She was wrapped up and lay besides her brother. Bumblebee had stood guard over the mech, and now took intrest in the femme as well. He beeped and buzzed at them in low tones, and made sure that they stayed covered no matter how much the squirmed and moved.

Ratchet noticed that something seemed off about Starscream. He seemed a little bit drawn back from the Seekerlets, as if he didn't want to get to know them. He had asked to hold the first, but almost seemed to have berated himself for it afterwards. He had not so mach as asked to see the femme. Normaly a Seeker, no, any carrier would be begging to see their creation.

"Easy there."Ratchet said. "You're almost there."

"That's what you said twenty minutes ago!"Starscream snapped. "I swear the next time I see those two, I'll kill them!"

"Who?"Bulkhead asked, having not read the journal.

"My trine mates you big lug!"Starscream spat. He gasped as another pain hit him, and shouted something out in Seeker-cant.

"Do you want to hold on of them, while we wait?"Ratchet asked.

Starscream looked over to where the scout sat. He could hear the mewling cries of the two Seekerlets, and his spark went out to them. He was practically ready to jump up and snatch them up! But what was the point in becoming attached to something that was just going to be taken away?

"No."Starscream said.

"Are you sure?"Ratchet asked, noticing how long it took for the answer.

Starscream never got to reply, and shouted in pain.

"All right, when you're ready."Ratchet said.

The next sparkling to be wrapped up in a blanket was a small, gray mech. He had brown strips on his wings, like soft, rich dirt. It was wrapped up and placed with the others. Bumblebee simply looked overjoyed at the Seekerlets. Being a youngling himself still, somebody younger then him made him feel better.

Starscream closed his optics and moaned softly. A new pain pierced him, and it felt different. It almost felt like something was wrong. His stomach was still contracting, but it hurt alot worse and alot different then before.

"Ratchet."Optimus started, his tone showing that an answer was needed.

Ratchet was all ready scanning him. "Remember when I said Seekers have complications? This is one of them."

"What's wrong?"Starscream asked, his voice filled with fear.

"The little guy's stuck."Ratchet answered. "If he doesn't move soon, I'll have to take him out manually."

"How soon?"Starscream asked, not relshing the idea of being sliced open.

"It depends. It could be five minutes, it could be five hours."Ratchet answered. "It could be an entire day."

Starscream moaned, but not in pain, at that last part. He put his hand over his optics at the thought of being labour for an entire day.

"Is there anything I can do to help him?"Starscream asked.

"Not really."Ratchet answered. "You can walk around a bit, if your not too sore."

Starscream put his servo up to be helped up. He steadied himself on his pedes, being very sore and all. He did notice, however, that he was a good deal lighter. He began to walk around, his hand on the wall. Every so often he would gasp or grunt in pain, but nothing ever happened. Two hours passed, and Starscream looked like he was going to pass out.

Ratchet had forced him to sit down on top of the blankets again. Starscream sat with his knees in the air and his helm on the wall. He was panting heavily, as well as overheating. Each breath was laced with a moan, and he made a small almost sobbing sound. He could barely move, and he felt like he was being ripped into tiny pieces. He felt a hand being pressed on his stomach area, and moving in soothing circles.

The keening mech opened his optics to see Ratchet right in front of him. The medic did not meet the gaze, but instead continued to massege the Seeker's lower stomach area. Starscream grunted as a particularly sore area was pressed. Ratchet didn't move though, but stopped pressing as hard in that area.

"W-what are you,ah, doing?"Starscream asked breathlessly.

"Trying to get him to move."Ratchet answered. He stopped his administraions and scanned the still rather large stomach. A relieved look came across Ratchet's face. "Get ready, Screamer."

"Why?"Starscream asked, still pained and unamused.

"Because he just got into possision."Ratchet answered.

Starscream was laid on his back, and after ten painful minutes, a mech was getting cleaned up and wrapped in a warming blanket. His wings had royal, dark navy blue strips on them.

"You're a little troublemaker, aren't you?"Ratchet asked as he lay the Seekerlet down next to his brothers and sister.

He scanned the Seekerlets all at once. They were the very picture of health, but were very hungry. Ratchet had no time to fix that as he quickly went back to Starscream. Within the hour, a little femme with light purple strips on her wings was born followed closely by a mech with soft, foam green strips on his wings.

Ratchet finally had a moment to look around the room. There was quite a mess on the floor, but that was to be expected. Bumblebee and Arcee slept side by side, as they both had watched the Seekerlets after awhile. Bulkhead was asleep on the other side of the room. Ratchet sat down next to Optimus, who was starting to nod off. Optimus woke right up though at the presence next to him.

"Are they all here, Ratchet?"Optimus asked.

"Not yet."Ratchet answered tiredly. "His labour stopped though."

"Is that harmful to either of them?"Optimus asked.

"No."Ratchet answered, his optics half shuttered as he leaned against the wall. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Just have to wait for the last one."

Optimus nodded. "How is Starscream and the other Seekerlets?"

"Tired and resting."Ratchet mumbled. "Like I want to be doing now, so if the sparklet isn't coming and nobody's dieing, leave me alone!"

Optimus back off a bit, and allowed the medic to fall into recharge. He fell asleep in a matter of minutes, do to how tired he was. Optimus soon nodded off as well.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Starscream jerked awake with a gasp. He felt like Megatron was stabbing him in the tank again. He felt something being pushed down inside of him, but not the way the other sparklets had felt. It felt almost manual, as if his body was trying to emerge the Seekerlet purposfuly. Another contraction hit him. and he yelped.

Ratchet was up in an instant and by him. A bright light penetrated Starscream's optics as the scanner went over him, humming slightly. Ratchet looked worried, but didn't say anything. Instead he got into position, and began to talk to Starscream.

"Listen up and listen carefully."he said sharply. "This sparkling needs to come out now. You have to push."

Starscream nodded. He already felt the urge to, and listened to instinct. As he fell back through, it didn't feel like anything happened. He did it again, and fell back.

"Harder, Starscream!"Ratchet said loudly.

Starscream was panting hard, in alot of pain, and could not push far or hard enough because of his wings. He fell back with a thud, trying to catch his breath.

"Optimus."Ratchet said to the tall mech besides him. When had he woken up? "I need you to prop Starscream up."

Optimus nodded. He went over to Starscream's helm and propped the Seeker up in his lap. Starscream would have been rather humiliated if he had not been in such pain. He cried out and began to curl up on his stomach. Again it felt like little had been done. There wasn't any movement, so Starscream thought that the Seekerlet must still be in the gestational chamber.

"Once more."Ratchet said."Hurry."

Starscream ventilated before the contraction hit, and curled up. He groaned and shouted as he pushed. He started to lay back.

"No!"Ratchet shouted at the Seeker."Optimus, push him up."

Starscream felt the Prime's strong hands gently push him foward. His shouting woke up the others, who anxiously waited for the final arrival. The tiny cries of six Seekerlets filled the air, and the three younger bots had their hands full trying to calm the hungry sparklets down.

"Okay."Ratchet said hurridly, grabbing a blanket.

The Seekerlet was out, and Starscream fell back, throughly exhausted. Optimus removed his pedes from under the Seeker's helm to allow him to get more comfortable.

"Congratulations, Starscream."Optimus said.

Starscream payed the Prime no heed though as he stared wide opticed at the medic. The orange and white mech was vigourously rubing the sparkling between the blanket, muttering to it. He threw the blanket to the ground and rubbed it's chest plates and back struts with his hands.

"Come on."Ratchet said frantically.

He began to thump on first it's chasis. The Seekerlet's optics were opened and starring up at the medic. His mouth was slight agape, but he did not ventilate. His tiny fists curled and uncurled weakly as his optics slowly shuttered.

"No."Ratchet breathed out as he flipped the sparkling upside down and hit it's feet."No. No, no!"

"Ratchet."Optimus spoke low, but his voice filled the room.

Ratchet ignored Optimus as he continued to slap the sparkling silly, trying to get it to breath. It's body had gone from a dark to a light gray, and it's optics had remained shuttered the entire time. He no longer moved so much as a digit, and remained unnaturally still. Optimus stood by the medic's side, and slowly took his hands in his own. Ratchet shuttered his optics and hung his helm as he lay the sparkling in his servos properly.

The others looked first at the medic and Prime, and then Starscream. He was weakly leaning against the wall, a hand over his mouth. His optics were slightly shuttered, and tears blurred his vision. Ratchet slowly went towards Starscream, and crouched down beside him, the gray Seekerlet in his servos.

"I'm sorry."Ratchet said softly. "There was nothing I could do."

Starscream didn't say anything, but reached out his servos to take the offlined Seekerlet. It was the very least Ratchet could do. The very first Seekerlet Starscream held was the one with ruby red strips on his wings, that never drew it's first breath.

"Bloodracer."Starscream whispered as he cradled the mech and stroked his tiny doorwings.

Helms were lowered in respect, including Arcee. She still hostile towards the ex-Decepticon, and was not going to befriend him, but she had a new tolerance for him. She picked up the femme with pink wings and slowly walked over to him. She lay the tine femme next to the Seeker. Starscream looked at Arcee, a few trails of coolant leaking down his face. She lowered he helm a bit, out of respect for the lifeless young. She looked back up.

"You still have the others."she said softly.

"They do not replace him."Starscream returned, though there was no hint of malice in his voice.

"No, they don't."Arcee agreed. "But they need you just as much as he would have."

Starscream lowered his own helm, and looked at the light gray shell in his servos. He then looked down at the tine femme Seekerlet by his side, clawing at him and mewling in hunger.

"Hush now."Starscream said, laying on his side and curling around the femme. "It's all right, Dawn."

Bumblebee picked up the mech with yellow on his wings, and lay him beside the femme sparkling. He buzzed a quick, sorrowful apology to the Seeker. The gray Seekerlet with sunflower yellow wings cried up to his carrier.

"Now, now, Firefly."Starscream cooed, pulling him closer.

Bulkhead picked up the femme with purple wings and lay him next to the other two Seekerlets.

"Sorry about that little guy."Bulkhead said. His voice showed that he meant what he said.

The purple winged femme let out a loud crow as she was not getting the attention she wanted and needed from her carrier.

"Come now, Violet."Starscream said, patting the little femme.

Optimus picked up a mech, as the others had also brought over Seekerlets. He lay him down, and offered his condolences.

"I am sorry for your lost, Starscream. I believe he would have grown into a great mech."

Starscream gave a slight nod of his helm. He looked at the mech Optimus had brought over. It had been the one with dirt brown on it's wings.

"Come closer, Camouflage."Starscream murmured, pulling him closer.

Ratchet picked up the last two, the one with dark blue wings and the soft, sea green wings.

"What are you going to call these two?"Ratchet asked, laying them close to the Seeker and Seekerlets.

"Seastrike and Sprite."Starscream said, motioning first to the blue mech, then the green.

'Sprite' also fit the green mech as he was the smallest out of them all, besides Bloodracer. Bloodracer had been the runt of the litter, but Sprite was a close second.

Starscream curled around the Seekerlets a bit more, and slid open a panel in his now flat stomach. It was amazing how his stomach had retracted back to it's original size. Beneath the panel were bags filled with energon. The Seekerlets squirmed about like puppied until they each were attached and began to suckle. Soft chirps and contented purrs came from them as they at last filled their empty tanks.

"Everone out."Ratchet said, although the sight was not considered vular or private by Cybertronian. Ratchet simply wanted Starscream to be alone with his Seekerlets, and spend some final moments with Bloodracer.

Author's Notes : I would like to thank my friends for the Seekerlet's names. Names and owners are as follows.

Dragonfly- Firefly, Bloodracer, Camouflage

Slipstream- Dawn, Seastrike

IceRod-Sprite

The Seekerlet 'Violet' was actully a three way tie among Slipstream, IceRod and mady11 of Howrse. 


	8. Chapter 8 Fears

Chapter 8 Fears

Starscream shifted a bit in recharge. His hand brushed up against something small and warm, and moving. Quickly opening his optics he found himself almost surrounded by his six little Seekerlets. He hung his helm, remembering the one that Ratchet had taken away. He said it wasn't healthy to hold onto Bloodracer's offlined frame for too long. Ratchet needed to run tests on it to find out what had happened. It wasn't good for Bloodracer to be around the other Seekerlets, in case his offlining had been do to a disease.

A quiet mewling came from one of the sparklets as she brushed her violet stripped wings against her carrier's upper pede. Starscream wanted to pick her up, cradle her, murmur to her in Seeker-cant, but he didn't. He pulled her off of his pede and snarled.

"Get away."

Seastrike, with his blue striped wings made a sound similar to his carrier's snarl. He was hungry, and wanted to be fed. Again Starscream went against everything in him and ignored the Seekerlet. He stood up, still sore and weak from the birth, and walked to the other side of the storage room. He sat down amongst some boxes and hugged his pedes to his chasis, keeping a close optic on the Seekerlets as the cried out to him.

Ratchet shook his helm, leaving his 'peep hole' from where he had been spying.

"What is the matter, Ratchet?"Optimus strong, baritone voice asked.

"He won't do anything with them."Ratchet replied. "He wants them, but is purpusfully trying to become detached."

"This is all new to him."Optimus said. "With time, he will accept them."

"I've never seen a Seeker not want his own creations."Ratchet said to himself as he went to the med-bay.

He stopped at the entrance. There, in a small incubator like object, lay the Seekerlet with red wings. He looked alot like Starscream, except his faceplates had nothing but gentility and innocence on them. His light gray frame lay still under the transparent covering, as if in recharge. Taking a deep vent, Ratchet began.

First he had to draw some of the energon from it's thin tubular veins. He began to run it through the moniter. While the energon tests ran, he began an observation or the tiny mech. He seemed to be in perfect health, on the outside. He was smaller then the other Seekerlets, by alot. His tiny wings jutted out to the sides, their ruby red strips shimmering in the florecent light. His tiny fists were still curled, from when he had tried to entilate and opened and closed them in the process. Ratchet moved his little pedes and servos, finding them quite stiff now.

"Why, little fellow?"Ratchet asked as he flipped it over.

His back looked normal, his tiny back struts in perfect condition. His wings looked strong yet delicate. Ratchet carressed one of them before manually moving them. They were stiff, but showed no signs that they could have been the cause of his death. A beep came from the moniter, telling the medic that the tests were done.

"Let's see what we have here."Ratchet said to himself as he crossed the room.

Everything seemed to be normal. The count for a few things were off, but not by much. Nothing seemed to point directly at the cause of his death.

"Was it something I did?"Ratchet asked himself in desparation as he scanned the tiny bot. "No, it wasn't." he said softly.

His scan instantly answered his question as to why the Seekerlet had died. He was serverly misshapened and deformed on the inside. His spark was much to small and weak to support his entire frame, however small it was. His ventilation shafts were also under developed. The reason he had not vented was because he physically couldn't. The Seekerlets had been born preemature, but not too early. Bloodracer would have offlined no matter what time he had been born.

Ratchet carefully covered the sparkling up, including his faceplates, to show that he was finished with his work. He let his hand rest on it a moment before slolwy sliding it off, tuning off the light, and leaving the room with a vent. He went to go see one bot and one bot only. He knocked three times with no answer. He opened the door anyways. His audios instantly picked up the cries of six hungry Seekerlets, crying out to their carrier. He looked about the room, afraid for a second that Starscream had abandoned them. He found the Seeker though, curled up on his aft behind some crates.

"What are you doing beack there?"Ratchet asked none too gently.

"Nothing."Starscream replied shortly and sulkily.

"That is quite obvious."Ratchet said. He pointed towards the radiator and b;ankets where the Seekerlets cried. "They're hungry."

"You don't think I know that?"Starscream shot back.

He got up and plopped down amongst the sparklings. He lay down on his side and retracted his stomach plating. His feedings bags came into view, engorged to an almost painful extent. The Seekerlets were quickly positioned,and were soon suckling their meal. Ratchet shook his helm. Starscream seemed to be both relishing and loathing the fact that he was with his creatons.

"Why did you come here?"Starscream asked after a few moments.

"This is still our base."Ratchet replied.

"You know very well what I mean."

"I have found the cause of Bloodracer's death."Ratchet said, not being one to 'beat around the bush'.

The words seemed to pain Starscream, but he kept a brave and almost indifferent face and attitude. "And?"

"He was not completely devolped. His spark and vent shafts were too under developed and weak to sustain him."

Starscream gave a quick nod. He didn't look up at the medic, but found it more interresting to look at the suckling Seekerlets, or the floor.

"We can give him a proper burial when you like."Ratchet said, his voice just a bit softer and less harsh.

Again Starscream gave a curt nod, still seemingly indifferent while inside he felt like he was dieing, or dead all ready. Why did this Autobot torture him so? Why not just do _it_ all ready. Rip his spark out of his chasis, and the Seekerlets from his servos. Ratchet left, as there was nothing esle that could be or needed to be said.

Starscream looked back at the suckling Seekerlets, curling up into him, snuggling into his side.

"Are you quite finished yet?"Starscream snapped.

He was answered by one unlatching from the feeding bag and whimpering. He curled up on himself, and cried.

"Camouflage."Stasrcream said gently, picking up the small Seekerlet with brown on his wings. "It's all- no, it really isn't, is it? There is no point in becoming attached if we are only to be separated."

Starscream set him down and began to get up, wet sucking 'pops' coming from each Seekerlet as they were abruptly detached from their feeding bags. Starscream put them together and covered them up, as there was no sense in them becoming cold. He went back to his corner, and curled up himself. He fell into a troubled recharge.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Starscream was rather rudely waken by the cries of his hungry children. His internal chronometer told him that it had been a few hours since their last feeding. Starscream curled up on himself, bringing his knees up to his chasis. He could feel his feeding bags online and fill with the sparkling energon, but he would not get up and go over there. The cries grew into shouts, and then slowly died down into whimpers and soft keens as their systems began to force them into recharge.

"I've had enough of this."Ratchet said, barging into the room, starting the Seekerlets and making a few cry again.

Starscream did not get up or acknowledge him.

"Get up!"Ratchet ordered.

"What is the point?"Starscream asked miserably.

Ratchet scoffed loudly and in a very irritated fashion. Starscream was shoing all the symptoms of a carrier who had post-pardum depression. An actual medical condition was one thing, and that was what Ratchet could and would fix. Something having to do with emotions and psychological was something Ratchet not only didn't know how to fix, it was something he didn't have time for.

"Get up and go take care of them."Ratchet ordered.

"Why do you do this to me?"Starscream snapped emotionaly.

"What?"Ratchet asked, now confused. "We have done nothing but help your sorry aft!"

"Why though?"Starscream asked, rising to his full hight and calming down some. "We must ask ourselves that. Why did you and are you helping me?"

"Because we thought it would be the right thing to do."Ratchet spat out."I see now that it was all a mistake."

"The right thing to do?"Starscream exclaimed. "Just take them all ready! Why do you torture me? Just take them and leave me alone!"

"Take them?"Ratchet asked, slightly confused but slowly begining to see the light.

"Yes!"Starscream said, becoming more and more flustered. "You are going to take them from me so just do it! The longer I am with them the more I become attached the harder it will be to part from them!"

"We're not going to take them."Ratchet said quickly, trying to stop the mech who was begining to ramble.

Starscream took a breath to continue, but stopped. His entire demeanor changed. "You're not?"

"Of course not."Ratchet said. "They're yours, first of all. Second, what would we do with six Seekerlets running and soon flying around base?"

Starscream could not answer that. "So all this time-"

"You have been jumpingt to conclusions and over reacting."Ratchet finished.

Stasrcream seemed to brighten up as he practically ran over to where the Seekerlets were and began to feed them. He didn't snap at them or make them finish prematurely. Their happy and contented purrs and chirrups filled the room as they drank their fill. All but one fell into recharge. A funny sound came from his vocalizer. A quick, jerky noise that came rapidly. They seemed to startle and irritate him as he squirmed about in discomfort.

"Wha-what did I do?"Starscream asked worridly as the Seekerlet with sea green stripes began to fuss and continued to hiccup.

"Here."Ratchet said, kneeling down and picking Sprite up.

The Seekerlet's stomach was layed across the white and orange servo. Ratchet began to pat his tiny back, just below his wings. The Seekerlet's body jerked a tiny bit as he burped and lay limp again.

"There ya' go."Ratchet said gently, speaking to the sparkling."That feel better now?"

Sprite clicked and churruped up at the medic, not content as the pressure in his tank was gone. Ratchet chuckled a bit as the Seekerling began to fall into recharge, and was lain next to his siblings who had all ready drifted off.

"I'll go now before I wake them."Ratchet said in a near whisper to the Seeker who had watched the entire process.

Starscream nodded, his optics involuntarily thanking the medic. Ratchet gave a polite nod of his own helm back and was sure to close the door behind him.

OoOoOoOoO

"Aren't you supposed to be picking up the children?"Ratchet asked from the moniter.

"Yeah..."Bulkhead drawled, sounding a bit nervous.

"What are you worried about? Go pick them up."Ratchet ordered.

He didn't like the children much, so noisy and immature, especially the female. That was to be expected from children, but made no difference to the medic. The only reason he was forcing Bulkhead and Arcee to go was because he did not want to hear a lecture from Optimus about how humans should be protected and all that scrap.

"What about 'him'?"Arcee asked, motioning towards the hall.

"Starscream? He's been here for months and the children haven't known about him."Ratchet said nonchalantly. "Just go get them, and don't tell them anything."

"Ratchet."Arcee started, taking a step towards the medic. "When he was sparked, that was different. He was quiet then, and the kids didn't ask questions. What are they going to do when they hear the sparklings crying?"

"Tell them to mind their own business. This is none of their concern."Ratchet huffed. "Now go pick them up!"

Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee vented and left. Ratchet took in the quietness of the base, for once. This was his favorite time of day, well, one of his favorites. His number one favorite time of the day was when it was time to recharge. His second favorite was that quiet time when there was nobot at base besides himself, Optimus, and now Starscream and the Seekerlets.

Ratchet vented as he heard the rumbling of three engines as they returned to base. Miko jumped from Bulkhead before he had come to a complete stop. She rushed up to the medic and began to ramble on about something that happened at school. He turned off his audios until her lips stopped moving. He turned them back on in time to hear.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"No."

Miko scoffed, flipping her black and pink hair and rolling her eyes. Her dismay was short lived as she went over to Bulkhead, to repeat her story most likely. Ratchet returned his full attention to the moniters. It wasn't long until a beeping and small pulsating dots appeared on them.

"We have energon on the move!"Ratchet called out loudly.

Plans were made, and Ratchet found himself stuck on base with three children, a Seeker, and six Seekerlings. Luckily, the children still had no idea about the last two things mentioned. Ratchet soon lost track of the children as he became engrossed with the frequent messages coming in from Optimus.

Miko looked over at the medic, completely enwrapped in his work. She sighed dramatically.

"I'm bo-ored."she drawled.

"What do you want to do?"Jack humored her.

She grabbed his hand. "Let's go exploring!"

"We already know everything here."Jack pointed out.

Miko rolled her eyes. "So?"

Jack sighed. Raf timidly agreed, as there was nothing else to do. The three easily went past the medic, not that they were sneaking or anything. He was just so preoccupied that he didn't notice the three children going up the hall. Jack, Miko, and Raf knew their way as they had been up and down these halls neumerous times before, expecially during the scraplet invasion. Jack and Raf talked a bit between themselves as Miko ran ahead, doing whatever it was that she did. She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She the boys had been any closer, a collision would have been imminent.

"What's up?"Jack asked, noticing how still Miko was.

"Shhh."the Japanese girl ordered. "Listen."

The two American boys stood still, straining their ears.

"I don't-"Raf started.

A sharp cry and then a shushing noise came from a closed door near the back of the hall. Before Jack could stop her, Miko had run off towards the door. She pressed her ear to it.

"There's something in there."she announced excitingly. "Let's check it."

"How, exactly?"Jack asked. "IN case you haven't noticed, we can't really reach the control panel."

Miko looked up. "It's not that high. Give me a boost."

"Why you?"Jack asked, feeling argumantive for some reason.

"Because I'm ligheter then you."Miko said. "Plus I'm a girl."

"So?"

Miko growled a bit."Just, come on."

Jack sighed as he gave her a boost, but only because he knew that he would not hear the end of it if he didn't. Miko was rather light, not that Jack expected her to be heavy. He heard the beeping of buttons as they were pressed, and then the door slid open. Jack set Miko down, as she was standing on his shoulders.

"How did you know what to press?"Raf asked, a bit curious.

"Bulk's told me before how to get into his room. I just used the same code."Miko said as if it were common knowledge.

Miko again took the lead, going into the semi-dark room. The light in there was dim, but that felt like it was intentional.

"Have you ever been in here before?"Raf asked.

Both older teens shook their heads. Miko was about to comment on something, when a known voice to her was heard. One that she heard almost a year ago deep in the bowels of a cave, where she had nearly run out of oxygen and stepped on and crushed. Miko shuddered as that voice spoke.

"Who's there?"

Miko screamed a bit, alerting the medic in the main hangar. He could only immagine the worst, as that is what war had taught him to do.

"Miko!"Jack exclaimed. "Cut it out."

"It's Starscream!"Miko said in an elevated and startled voice.

Raf, who was normally more timid, took a step foward. Starscream's voice had come from behind those crates, but yet the Seeker had not appeared. He peeped around to see said mech laying on his side, small bots drinking from him. Starscream yelped in surprise at the sight of the tiny human male, staring at his creations.

"A-are they yours?"Raf heard themselves ask, much to his surprise.

"Yes."Starscream replied, his optics never leaving Raf, seeing him as a threat.

One of the Seekerlings popped off with a wet sucking sound. It looked over and saw Rafael, who stared back in turn. It cooed a bit, interested in the human. The other two humans watched as Raf took a step closer.

"Back!"Starscream snapped, pulling Seastrike close to him again.

"What is going on here?"Ratchet's sharp voice penetrated the rather quiet room.

Seastrike whimpered and began to cry a bit, curling in to his carrier. Starscream held him close to his spark as he shushed him.

"Miko!"Ratchet scolded.

"Why is it always me?"Miko asked.

"Because it usually is."Ratchet returned. "What are you three doing in here?"

"We three?"Miko asked defiantly. "What is he doing here?"

Dawn stopped suckling as the shouting match grew louder between the rather frightened Japanese girl and the Cybertronian medic. She began to cry, her gray and pink wings folding close to her back as a form of self comfort. Ratchet vented angerly, pinching the bridge of his olfactory sensors.

"Get out of here."he ordered, pracically shoving the three humans from the room. Once out, he manually closed the door. "How did you even get in-I don't want to know."

"What is he doing here?"Miko demanded. "Isn't he the one who tried to kill Bulk and me back in that cave?"

"Isn't he a Decepticon?"Jack added.

Ratchet turned to him. "Starscream has become a Neutral in a way. He is neither Autobot nor Decepticon."

"So he becomes a pacifist, whoopie."Miko said sarcasticaly."Again, why is he here?"

"He was frozen in the arctic."Ratchet answered. "He was-pregnant."he used earth terms to make it easier. "He had no energon, his trine mates ditched him-"

"What?"Miko asked, honestly confused.

Ratchet vented loudly, pushing the limits of an annoyed sigh and a scoff. He had brought them to the main hangar, and they were now at eye-to-optic level with him.

Miko was rattling of questions faster then Ratchet could process them. "How does a guy get pregnant? Couldn't you have just left him in the snow? What the heck's a 'trine mate'? How do you get a guy pregnant?"

"We have no genders, simple as that."Ratchet answered, not wanting to get into an in depth Cybertronian biology lesson with a human, mainly Miko. "Optimus did not feel it right to leave him in the state he was. Trine mates are what some Seekers form, a bonding between three bots. Does that answer all of your questions?"

"Where do your babies come from?"Miko asked smugly, not expecting an answer as it was obvious that Ratchet was in no mood to explain anything.

"Sparkling, Seekerling in this case, not baby."Ratchet corrected. "And the same way you humans do."

Ratchet smirked to himself as he turned away to the moniters, listening to the disgusted exclaimations caoming from all three humans.


	9. Chapter 9 Infection : Part 1

Chapter 9 Infection Part 1

Ever since Miko found out about Starscream and the Seekerlets, it had been pure hell trying to keep her out of the storage room. Starscream at first disliked the Asian girl's appearances, and looked foward to when a bot would drig her away, but after awhile, he became used to her frequent visits. She seemed to have discovered the scedule Starscream used for feeding and naps for the Seekerlings, and would appear only when they were feeding. She mainly just cooed at the sparklings that were smaller then her, but sometimes she would talk with the ex-Con.

This rather surprised the Seeker, as he would think that the human would absolutely hate him. He decided not to question it though, and enjoy the bit of company he had.

"Come on."Starscream encouraged,"Drink."

The squirming Seekerlets were all ready suckling, but Starscream found it necissary to speak aloud, if only to hear somebody's voice. Starscream had always been a mech who enjoyed good company, as most Seekers where. Checking his internal chronometer, Starscream saw that it was about time for Miko to make her grand entrance. At last a voice that spoke actual words and full sentences! His sparklings were nearing the speaking stage, but not quite there yet. They were becoming more vocal, but chirrups and crows became old after awhile.

FIfeteen earth minutes passed, and no Miko.

"Did that slaggin' organic get detention again?"Starscream exclaimed, causing Dawn to look at him a moment before continuing her meal. Starscream vented a bit. "Guess I won't be able to-"

"What's up, Screamer?"an energetic voice exclaimed.

Starscrean yelped a bit in surprise, jumping a bit, and then yelped in pain. One of the Seekerlets bit down on his feeding nub, startled at his carrier's outburst. Hissing in pain, Starscream pulled Camoflauge off of him.

"Camo!"he exclaimed."No!"

The little sparkling with brown wings whimpered a bit, his bottom lip trembling a bit as his optics widened and coolant leaked from the corners. Starscream sat up, the rest of the sparklings coming off their feeding bags. Camoflauge was placed over Starscream's lap, his aft and wings in the air.

"What are you-"

Miko was cut off as a thin hand made three rapid slaps on a tiny aft and thigh. Camoflage began to cry and scream as his aft stung a bit, but no damage was done to him.

"We do not bite."Starscream said, looking deep into the blue optics of the crying sparkling.

Miko kept quiet, watching the punishment. Starscream then hugged the tiny bot to his chasis.

"Do not do so again, understand?"

The Seekerlet was young, but knew enough to nod through his sniffles. Venting a bit in pain, Starscream lay Camoflauge amongst his siblings for a nap. Starscream closed his stomach plating, hissing a bit as they snapped closed.

"Are you all right?"Miko asked in genuine concern. "Want me to go get Ratchet?"

"No."Starscream replied, taking one final vent to calm himself. "I do not need the Autobot medic."

"Okay."Miko said with a shrug before launching off into some story about some random happening at school.

While the subject did not interest the flyer very much, simply having contact and a 'rational' conversation with another living being made it worth while. All too soon Bulkhead came into the room, and Miko had to leave.

"See ya' tomarrow, Screamy."Miko called over her shoulder.

As the door clicked closed, Starscream vented. He lay down besides his offspring, and shuttered his optics. Instead of going into recharge, he allowed his processor to run rampant. He wondered why he was still treated as a prisoner. He knew 'why', but wished that the Autobots would cut him some slack. They themselves called him Neutral, so why shouldn't he be allowed to at least leave this room. Of course, it wasn't locked, but that did not exactly mean he was allowed out of the room.

Starscream shrugged it off as a rather tired feeling washed over him. A nap looked rather nice right now, and soon Starscream joined his Seekerlets in recharge.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Starscream woke a few Earth hours later, feeling very hot and flushed. He ached a bit, but knew that it was time once again to feed the sparklings. He lay down and slid back his stomach plating, surprised at how much pain radiated throughout him as he did so. As the first sparkling latched on, Starscream had to hold back a shout. Seastrike made a funny face as he detached, and would not drink anymore, no matter how much Starscream encouraged.

Violet, on the other hand, found herself rather hungry and suckled away. Firefly follwed her example, and Camouflage ate as well. Sprite and Dawn followed Seastrike's example and refused to suckle after a sip or two.

"What is the matter?"Starscream asked, a bit irritated. "Not good enough for you?"

A squeaky twitter was his reply from Sestrike, who curled up to return to recharge. Dawn had discovered that her foot made an excelent pacifier, and was rolling about trying to keep it in her mouth. Starscream felt to ill to try and stop her, and tucked his servos beneath his helm as he lay on his side and let the three finish their meal.

Starscream was a bit worried, but not that much. While Seastrike, Dawn. and Sprite refused to fuel, they appeared perfectly fine. They did not feel warm to Starscream, so he was safely able to say that they were not ill. What surprised him, was who showed symptoms of illness.

Camoflauge came off of Starscream with a sticky pop, and began to choke. Starscream, thinking that he had simply drinken to fast, picked up the sparkling and carefully pat his back. After a few seconds, instead of a burp, Camo spit up rather violently. He squirmed and cried a bit, and Starscream noticed that his frame was a bit warmer then it should have been.

"It's okay."Starscream said rather gently as he took a cloth from subspace and wiped off his mouth and the floor.

He wrapped the brown stripped sparkling up in a warming blanket, so that he did not get chilled, and lay him down. Camoflauge did not go into recharge, as Starscream had hoped. He continued to squirm beneath his wrappings and whimper in discomfort.

Starscrem, though, did not have time to tend to him as Dawn detached and spit up without warning. She cried loudly, and purged again. Starscream picked her up, and began to clean up the crying sparkling.

"Are you ill as well?"Starscream questioned as he tried not to disturb Firefly, who was still eating.

Dawn continued to cry and purge a few times as Starscream tried to clean her up. As soon as she had stopped long enough for Starscream to wrap her up and lay her next to Camoflauge, Firefly became violently ill.

"All three of you?"Starscream asked, now very worried and alarmed.

He cleaned up Firefly as best as he could, wrapped him up in a blanket, and rose to his pedes. He quickly looked over all six of the sparklings, three quietly amusing themselves while three others looked like slag. Starscream began to leave the unlocked room, ignoring the radiating pain coming from beneath his stomach plating.

He knew his way around the small base now, and followed the hall into the main hangar. Arcee bristled and remained silent, folding her arms across her chasis. Optimus and Ratchet had their backs turned, not noticing the Seeker yet. Bumblebee didn't appear to be on base, and Bulkhead didn't seem to be in tha main hangar.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"the wrecker's voice snapped from behind the flyer, startling him.

Optimus and Ratchet turned from the moniter, now noticing Starscream. Optimus pressed a button on the moniter, making it go dark. It must have been something important not meant for 'prisoners' to see, or he simply didn't need the moniter on anymore. Starscream didn't have time to ponder the action, and grabbed the medic's servo.

"You must help them."Starscream pleaded as he tried to drag Ratchet away. Ratchet stood firm, not budging an inch.

"Help who?"Ratchet questioned."What have you done?"

Starscream scowled at the whate and orange mech. "I have done nothing...well, I don't think I have. Maybe I-no, unless-"

"Well?"Ratchet snapped.

"I don't know what' wrong with them!"Starscream exclaimed. "The sparklings."

Ratchet rolled his optics and scoffed. This most likely was nothing, as Carrier Seekers were very well known for overreacting over the simplest things. Ratchet would humor Starscream though, if only to calm him down. Ratchet follwed the worried Seeker into the storage room, follwed closely by the others in case this was some form of trick or attack.

"Where are they?"Ratchet asked, seeing only three, healthy looking, sparklings rolling on the floor.

"By the radiator."Starscream pointed to the three unmoving bundles covered heavily with blankets.

Ratchet crouched down next to them, studing them. All three of them were trembling, their optics were glazed with fever, and whimpered in pain. Camoflauge seemed to be suffering the least, and Firefly the worst. All three of them were bad though, and Ratchet knew that immediate action was required. Ratchet uncovered the shaking sparklings, now making them shiver as the draft hit their overheating bodies. Ratchet studied them, trying to find some obvious difference.

"What happened?"Ratchet asked, trying to get some clues to why these three were ill.

"I simply tried to feed them!"Starscream replied, sounding like he was defending himself.

"Nobody is blaming you for this."Optimus said gently, as he was standing closest to the Seeker.

"What are their symptoms?"Ratchet asked next, scanning all three sparklings.

"Those three wouldn't suckle."Starscream extended a long finger towards the helathy looking sparklings who played by Arcee's, Bulkhead's, and Bumblebee's pedes. Bumblebee had materialized from somewhere, a bit wet from the wash racks.

"Those three look fine, but I want to check them out in a minute."Ratchet commented.

"The three next to you ate normally."Starscream explained, trying to remain calm while it was quite obvious he was extreemly nervous and distraught. "Camo got sick, follwed by Violet and Firefly."

"Got sick?"Ratchet repeated.

Before he could question further, the purple winged femme in his servos began to fuss. She choked and, without warning, purged on the medic. A few disgusted exclaimeations came from the younger bots with the other sparklings, but Ratchet was not slowed. He was used to having some form of foul liquid on him, from blood to vomit. He wiped it off with a cleaning cloth from his subspace and wiped off Violet.

"Like that."Starscream stated.

"They all need to be taken to the med-bay."Ratchet ordered, rising with Violet still in his pedes.

He handed a cloth to Optimus and Starscream, just in case Camo of Firefly became ill in the short trek. Bumblebee picked up Dawn, who had stopped suckling on her foot and now sucked on her thumb digit contentedly, although she was getting hungry now. Bulkhead took up Seastrike, who giggled and churruped at the ex-wrecker. Arcee cradled Sprite, who cuddled into her.

Ratchet had the sparklings placed on separate berths, the three ill ones on one berth, the three healthy ones on another. He did not want them together if this was something contagious. Ratchet scanned the three healthe sparklets, Dawn first, Sprite next, and Seastrike last.

"They appear fine."Ratchet said aloud."No virus, but they need to be refuled."

Optics turned towards the Seeker, who shook his servos and helm in the negative and took a step back.

"They wouldn't take it from me."Starsream stated.

Ratchet vented, irritated. "They can wait a bit, I guess."

/Can we take them into the hangar?/ Bumblebee begged.

Stasrscream shifted uneasily at the thought of Sprite, Seastrike, and Dawn out of his sight. Come to think of it, besides trips to the wash rack and a few times when he left the room, they had never been away from them for more them five minutes.

"Yes."Ratchet replied, before Starscream could protest. He answered Starscream's unasked 'why?'. "If this is infectious, you don't want it to spread to the others."

Starscream vented as he watched his three sparklings get carried from the room. He could hear their giggles and chirrups as they were entertained and watched by Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee.

Starscream turned back to Ratchet as Optimus left the room. "Well?"

"It's not a virus."Ratchet replied absent-mindedly. "Did you do anything to them?"

"I only fed them."Starscream said, folding his servos across his chasis.

"I want to scan you in a moment."Ratchet stated.

He first had to get the sparklings situated. A towel was placed under them, and a heating lamp was hung above them. It took awhile, as the lamp had to be hung the right distance away. Too close, and their fevers would get higher, to far and they would get chilled. Without turning around, Ratchet rescanned them.

"All, Starscream."Ratchet said."Get on a berth and I'll scan you in a moment."

There was no answer, but Ratchet didn't turn around. Camoflague had begun to retch and Ratchet had to move quickly. He didn't notice that Starscream had paled conciderably in the past half hour. He didn't notice the Seeker clutching at the desk side, trying to remain upright. He didn't see the look of pain on Starscream's face. He did, though, hear the half sigh half moan and the loud clatter of metal hitting cement.

"Starscream?"Ratchet asked, tucking the sparkling back up and turning around quickly.

The crumpled frame of the Seeker met the medic as he looked about. Without wasting a moment, Ratchet picked up the uncontious Starscream and got him into a berth. A moniter was hooked up to him. Immediatly warnings popped up; elevated sparkbeat, high energon pressure, overheating.

"What is going on?"Ratchet asked aloud, with no answer except for the beeping of machines and the ocassional whimper from the sparklings. "Optimus!"

Said Prime soon entered the room. Before he could inquire the reason as to why he had been called, he saw Starscream uncontious in a berth and Ratchet going around the infirmary trying to grab stuff.

"Watch the Seekerlets."Ratchet ordered.

Optimus gave a nod of his helm and went over to the large berth the Seekerlets lay on. He sat on the edge of it, petting each little helm in turn. The seemed to like it, and soon fell into recharge.

"What is the matter with Starscream?"Optimus asked after Ratchet had placed an I.V drip into the Seeker's servos and had stopped running around.

"I'm trying to find that out."Ratchet replied, a bit testily.

He transformed the scanner from his servo and began to scan Starscream. He started at the Seeker's helm, and slowly swept the beam down. Afew things popped up as he swept it down; processor ache, overheating, elevated this and that. Ratchet stopped as his scanner began to flash a blood red over the Seeker's stomach area. Ratchet manually opened the plating, and it slid back. Ratchet couldn't stop himself from exclaiming a bit in shock and slight disgust.

"I've figured out what's wrong with him."Ratchet announced. "And have a haunch as to what is ailing the Seekerlets."

Optimus rose and went to the medic's side. He remained silent as Ratchet began to explain.

Ratchet pointed to one of the feeding nubs. It was split right on the tip, and was serverly discoulered. Instead of the metal mesh gray it was supposed to be, it was black. There was a greenish white discharge coming from it as well.

"He was bit by one of the Seekerlets."Ratchet stated."And it became infected."

"Could the sparklings be ill from drinking the infected energon?"Optimus asked.

"That's my guess."Ratchet replied, taking a smaple from one of the other feeding bags.

"Why are you not taking it from the connected bag?"Optimus questioned. Optimus knew that in a grounder, the bags were separate.

"Puh-lease."Ratchet scoffed. "In a Seeker, they're all connected. Do you know how had it would be to feed a litter if each bag was separate? One would always be too full, and one would always be hungry. They all push and shove each other around until they get comfortable."

Optimus nodded. It had seemed a bit odd and troublesome to him if each bag had been separate.

"I take it Starscream will not be able to feed them anymore, if the sparklings were poisened from the energon."Optimus stated.

Ratchet nodded. "Now it's going to be a real pain in the aft. He's going to have to hand feed them a low grade formula."

The sample of sparkling energon was no running through a compluter system. In a matter of minutes, the results were in. Starscream was serverly infected, and the energon had been more so. The infected energon had been drinken by a few of the sparklings, and it was attacking their systems.

Ratchet started Starscream on some painkillers and an antibiotic type serum. He was still uncontious, which to Ratchet was a good thing. He was not going to hear the Seeker complain, nor would he have to care for him as much until he came out of emergency stasis. He probably would not come out of emergency stasis until he was about well. If he awke before that, Ratchet's workload would become much more heavy.

OoOoOoOoOoO

In the main hangar, Dawn, Seastrike, and Sprite were being well taken care of. They had been placed on a blanket on the floor, and had three bots watching them. A few toys had been quickly fashioned and made.

Bulkhead had constructed a 'rattle' for Sprite. It was merely a small can usually used for polish that had been empty for a long time. Bulkhead had cleaned it out and placed a few human sized nuts and bolts into it. He had also welded a metal rod to the bottom of it, making a handle. It was both crude and well made at the same time. Bulkhead hoped to paint it sometime in the near future.

Bumblebee had found an old blanket in his closet. It was a bit worn, but clean. He had taken some string and tied it around the top of the blanket after folding it a bit. A buldge at the top of the blanket appeared to be a head of some sort, and the triangular bottom made some sort of 'dress' or body. Dawn loved it and snuggled with it, the make-shift rag doll crushed between her servos.

Arcee looked at Seastrike, who looked from his siblings with their toys and back to the blue femme.

"You want one too?"Arcee asked.

The sparkling twittered a bit, beeping and chirruping. Arcee picked up Seastrike as she racked her processor for ideas. She had no idea what to make him, but had an idea as to what she could give the Seekerling.

"Come on."Arcee said, taking the blue streaked sparkling into her room.

He was set on her berth with a few pillows around him to keep him propped up and off the floor. He watched with great intrest as Arcee began to ransack a closet in the back of the room. A medium sized box was pulled from the back of it, and set beside the sparkling. Arcee opened the box without hesitation.

Inside were a few holo-cubes. The small devices would show neumerous pictures of her family and friends. Her sisters that were floating somewhere in space, her carrier and sire before they offlined, and a few of Tailgate and her, as well as Cliffjumper in a few others.

The holo-cubes were set aside and off, a few data-pads were set aside next. A few had at one point been blank, but were bow filled with Arcee's inmost thoughts. Nobody was ever able to hold in their emotions, no matter how withdrawn and silent they were. Everybody had one way or another to vent, and Arcee's was writing. Some where just short stories she had written in some spare time, while others were actual diary entries. They were to stay off and hidden, unseen and unread by any optics other then her own.

As she box became more empty, all that remained were a few trinkets from her younglinghood. A few things here sisters had made for or with her, such as crude handcrafted jewlery. Arcee smirked as she pulled out a metal tube and flipped a switch on the side. A retractible blade slid up and then back in, a 'pocket knife'. so to speak, and Arcee's first weapon.

"Is it even in here?"Arcee questioned as a few items where pushed aside.

Arcee made a noise of pleasure as she found what she was looking for. It was too small for her now, but the perfect size for a sparkling. It was placed in his servos, and then hugged by the gray servos.

A stuffed plaything, a robo-puppy with floppy ears and a worn tail. It was a metalic, dusty blue color with a large black spot on it's back. It was soft and fuzzy, and had large, dark green optics. Arcee remembered that when she was a very young youngling, just out of her sparkling stage, she had never been able to recharge without it. As she had grown older, the stuffed animal had become less and less needed until it was simply used as a berth decoration, and finally had found it's final resting place in Arcee's box.

"It's yours now, kid."Arcee said softly.

Seastrike was taken back into the main hangar, where the robo-puppy toy was shown off. Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked at Arcee as if to ask where she had gotten it from, but that question was to remained unanswered. The the sparklings played with their new toys for awhile, but became tired and hungry after a bit. Sprite was the first to begin fussing, and threw his rattle at the ex-wrecker. He refused to take it back, and began to cry as his tank demanded fuel.

Bulkhead looked at the crying sparklet, not really knowing what to do. He picked up the foam, sea green stripped Sreekerlet and bounced it a bit. Sprite continued to cry, and it was soon seconded by Dawn and at last Seastrike. A rather cranky and tired voice began to shout at them from the med-bay, coming closer until the speaker was visible.

"What is all that racket?"Ratchet shouted.

/The sparklings/ Bumblebee replied, trying to calm a crying Dawn.

Ratchet rolled his optics and scoffed as he took Dawn from the youngling and placed a digit in hr mouth. She closed her optics and gripped his hand as she sucked on it.

"Bee, go to the vault and get the lowest grade of energon you can find."Ratchet ordered.

Bumblebee quickly nodded and left for the vault. He checked all around the room, pushing aside cubes of all sizes. At last he found what he was looking for, a large and very light blue cube of low-grade. He returned with the cube.

"You only got one."Arcee pointed out as a very hungry Seastrike threatened to blow out her audios.

"How are they supposed to eat it?"Bulkhead asked, a squirming Sprite in his servos. "They can't really hold onto it."

Ratchet scoffed a second time, and swapped the Seekerlet for the cube. He went into the med-bay and returned with three 'bottles' of low grade energon. He had simply connected a large flask and a nipple together. The nipples had been found in a box in the back of a cupboard that was very rarely used. It was medical supplies Ratchet knew that he wasn't going to nead, surprisingly, mainly sparkling and carrying things.

The bottles were handed out, and soon all three sparklings were contentedly drinking the warm low grade. Ratchet swept the room with his optics before returning to the med-bay. He returned to the three ill Seekerkings, a few medicine droppers and a bottle in his hands. Camoflauge was lifted into his lap.

The brown winged sparkling curled into him a bit. Ratchet noticed that his temperature was down quite a bit, but not broken. With a sucking noise, a red liquid was sucked into the dropper.

"Open up."Ratchet ordered gently, trying to slide the tip of the dropper into the sparkling's mouth.

Camoflauge tried to fight him a bit, but wanted to go into recharge more. As the sparkling yawned, Ratchet quickly slid the dropper into his mouth and squirted in the rather bitter liquid. Camoflauge automatically swallowed it, and scowled at Ratchet. He knew that he had been tricked, even if he had been the one that yawned.

"Get some sleep."Ratchet said as he tucked the sparkling under the heating lamp. He picked up Violet next. "Your turn."

A second medicine dropper was filled with the ruby red liquid and offered to the sparkling. Violet shook her helm back and forth, making it so that Ratchet could not give her the liquid.

"I'll restrain you, if I have to."Ratchet warned.

Violet continued to shake her helm back and forth as Ratchet tried to give her the medicine. With a vent, Ratchet lay Violet down on the berth and held her helm still. She glared at him as the tip of the dropper was slid into her mouth, and the contents squeased in with a wet 'whoosh'.

"There."Ratchet said. "Was that so bad?"

Ratchet was sure that she would have nodded if she knew to. She continued to glare at him until the medicine took it's cource, making her drowsy in a matter of minutes. She was covered up and tucked in well.

"You ready, little mech?"Ratchet asked as a limp Firefly was picked up and placed in his lap.

Firefly did not chirp or make any noise at all. He didn't fuss nor did he move. He stared at Ratchet with dim, sunken in, and glazed optics. His entire frame was warm as he overheated in the extereme, and he did not seem aware as the tip of the dropper was slid into his mouth. The bitterness of the medicine seemed o snap him out of his stupor,though, and he spat it out.

"Come on."Ratchet pleaded, refilling the dropper. "It'll help you."

A tiny whimper came from Firefly as he curled tigtly into Ratchet's servo. He rubbed his helm, which was most likely pounding, on Ratchet's chasis. Ratchet found himself patting the sparkling's back.

"It's all right, little guy."Ratchet said. "Just take your medicine."

Again the tip of the dropper was placed in Firefly's mouth, and the bitter red liquid was squirted into his mouth. Before he could spit it out, his automatic swallowing protocals forced him to swallow it. Ratchet waited a moment, and his spark sank as Firefly began to choke.

"Easy."Ratchet murmured as he lay the sparkling across his hand and rubbed circles on his back.

The sparkling weakly purged out the medicine before falling limp. Ratchet lay him down, as there was no point in trying to give him the medicne again if he was simply going to purge it again. The shaking sparkling's helm was stroked a few times until his glazed optics shuttered in recharge.

Ratchet checked his internal chronometer. To his amazement, it was very late. He must have sat there a bit longer then he had originally thought. It was past midnight.

"Those glitches had better had enough sense to put the others down for the night."Ratchet muttered to himself as he wandered out into the main-hanger.

The main hangar was empty. The moniters were still on, but that was the norm around base. Ratchet went up the hallway and opened each berthroom door in turn and peeked in.

Arcee's room was the frist he checked. Her back was to the door, and her frame curled slightly. Ratchet snuck in and peeped over her shoulder. Seastrike lay curled into her side, clutching the robo-puppy toy ti his chasis. Ratchet left just as quietly as he had entered, closing the door behind him.

The next room to check was Bulkheads. The ex-wrecker was sprawled out on his berth, as usual, and Ratchet feared that the sparkling might have been crushed beneath the green mech. To his relief, Bulkhead had enough sense to place the sparkling on the floor,on top of some blankets and next to the heater. Ratchet covered Sprite up a bit more before leaving.

The next room was Optimus'. To his surprise, it was bare of both Prime and sparkling. Bumblebee's door was checked next. Ratchet wished that he had a camera or holo-scanner with him.

The scout lay on the berth, one pede dangling off the end. The pink winged femme lay on her stomach plating, on top of his chasis. Both were in deep recharge, and snoring slightly. Dawn clutched her doll closeas she snuggled into his warm chasis a bit more.

Ratchet left the rooms to go back into the med-bay. He was exhausted, but he had his dutys as a medic first. As he went back into the main hangar, Optimus pulled into the base from a late night patrol.

"How are they fairing?"Optimus inquired.

"Starscream isn't up yet, Camo's fever is almost broken, Violet is better then before, and Firefly still has a high fever and cannot keep anything down."Ratchet reported.

Optimus gave a nod of his helm. "Why don't you go lie down?"

Ratchet snorted, follwed by a scoff. "I'm not going to get any recharge tonight. They need to be watched through the night."

"I am able to watch them."Optimus offered.

Ratchet shook his helm in the negative. "You need to rest, and I doubt that you would know what to do if Starscream woke up."

Optimus could not argue with that. He had basic medical skills, as did every other soilder on base. Battle field medical techniques and the like, but not in depth surgery and infections and special illnesses. Optimus bid Ratchet good night berfore turning and starting to head down the hall.

Ratchet went back to the med-bay. He looked over the three sparklings, only to notice that one was not in recharge. The brown winged Seekerlet chirped at him contentedly.

"Feeling better?"Ratchet asked, taking the little mech's temperature.

Camoflauge jabbered at him in sparkling language, beeps and clicks of gibberish. He kicked at the blankets a bit, making Violet squirm and begin to wake up. Ratchet quickly scooped him up, blanket and all, and went towards the main hangar.

"Optimus."he called out.

A door slid open and the tall mech was seen coming back up the hall.

"If you really want to help."Ratchet started. "You can take him with you."

The sparkling twittered as he was passed over to the Prime.

"I will take him."Optimus confirmed.

"He should be fine through the night."Ratchet said quickly. "If his fever returns, bring him back."

Optimus nodded and again returned to his berthroom. He looked about the room, wondering how to get the sparkling situated. The most logical option, to him, was to put Camo in the berth with him. Optimus had often done so with Bumblebee when the scout was a sparkling. It was soothing to both bots, and had often helped both of them recharge.

Optimus carefully bundled Camoflauge a bit in the blankets, and lay down on the berth, the sparkling between him and the wall. Optimus shuttered his optics, and his audios were filled with the beeps and clicks from the sparkling. Optimus looked at the winged mech.

"I am glad that you are feeling better, but it is time for recharge now."Optimus stated.

Camo gave a long whirr of distaste before clicking happily. Optimus vented a bit. The sparkling had slept most of the day, and did not want to rest now. Optimus sat up and leaned towards the sparkling. Camo clicked curiously as a digit neared his helm, and began to stroke it.

Camoflauge giggled a bit as the digit tickled his helm, but seemed to become more wide awake then before. Optimus looked at the wings that fluttered a bit. He had read that wings were very sensitive. Optimus began to stroke them, as he used to do to Bumblebee when he had trouble recharging.

The sensation appeared to make the talkative Seekerlet drowsy, but not enough to make him go into recharge. The small and empty tank grinded loudly, and Camo looked up at Optimus with large, pleading optics.

"Hungry, little one?"Optimus asked.

A few tired clicks answered him. Optimus picked him up and went into the main hangar. A few empty bottles rested on the moniter, from when the others had feed the three sparklings before bed. Optimus picked it up and began to clean it, in a sink Rtachet used to clean medical tools. It was quite a feat, as Optimus balanced a winged mech in his other servo.

The next step was to fill the bottle with some of the leftover low grade. The nipple was placed on the bottle, and offered to the sparkling. Camo took a few sips, but then refused to take more.

"This will not hurt you."Optimus said, tapping the nipple gently on th sparkling's lips. A few drops rolled onto the Seekerlet's face, but Optimus could not encourage him to eat any more of it.

Camo's tank grinded again, alerting the Prime that he was still hungry. Optimus tasted a bit of the energon, but found it just fine. It was a bit sweet and cold, but that was how it was supposed to be.

Optimus wanted to slap himself in the forehelm. Sparklings did not like cold energon. Bumblebee had often refused a meal as a sparkling simply because it was too cold. Ironhide had learned that the hard way, as he was wtching the sparkling once.

The red Weapon's Specialist had tried to give the very young youngling a bottle of cold sparkling mix, and had become rather angry when it was not drinken. Bumblebee could not speak well yet, and would only shout 'no' back at the swearing mech. After awhile, the bottle had gone from the red hands into the yellow, and the bottle was squeased at the Weapon's Specialist's faceplates.

Optimus quitely snuck into the med-bay, where a small burner sat on the counter. Ratchet was seated at his desk, his helm resting on his servos, in recharge. Optimus quietly warmed the bottle, and then left the med-bay without waking up a single soul.

"Is this better?"Optimus asked, seating himself on his berth and offering the bottle again.

Camo chirruped happily and latched onto the bottle. He drank quickly at first, and them began to slow down a bit as less and less liquid filled the bottle. His optics became half shuttered, ang he squeaked a bit. The bottle was soon empty, and Camoflauge in recharge, even though he still suckled on the bottle.

Optimus pulled it from the strong jaw, and it came out with a 'pop' and a sucking sound as air entered the bottle. It was set on the desk, and Optimus lay back down on the berth. The blanket was wrapped around the sparkling, and Optimus soon joined him in recharge.


	10. Chapter 10 Infection : Part 2

Chapter 10 Infection Part 2

Ratchet mumbled to himself as he cleaned up Firefly again. The yellow winged sparkling could not keep anything down, his temperature had spiked, and he would cry or whimper from time to time. Ratchet had woken up an hour ago, and Firefly's health seemed to go downhill even more the moment he opened his optics.

Ratchet cradled the sparkling, as it did not want to be left alone. It's intakes hitched neumerous times as he inhaled and exvented. He had no coolant left to cry, but still made the noise from time to time. Ratchet didn't bounce him, for the motion would just make the Seekerling feel more ill. He looked up at Ratchet with his big, sunken in, dry, dim, baby blue optics as if asking why he felt sick and begging for help.

"I know, little one."Ratchet said gently, hoping to Primus that nobody would walk in at this moment. "There is not much I can do for a mech your size. You just have to stay strong and fight it out."

Firefly lay his helm against Ratchet's chasis, snug and warm in the crock of the medics servo. He closed his optics, churring a bit in fatigue and pain. He was soon in recharge, which did not surprise Ratchet at all.

Quietly the medic crept to the other side of the room. He debated laying the sparkling back down under the heat lamp, of keeping him in his servos. Firefly shifted a bit, snuggling deeper in his arm. Ratchet picked up a warming blanket from the medical berth, and wrapped the sick sparkling up. He sat down at his desk chair, rocking him back and forth slowly.

Firefly whimpered in his recharge, but did not awaken. The moevemnts seemed to sooth him, even in sleep. Before Ratchet could think of what to do next, a low and sighing moan came from an occupied medical berth.

"What?"

"Easy, Scream."Ratchet ordered as he slowly rose. "You are battling an infection."

Starscream sighed tiredly. "How are they?"he asked.

"Three of them-Seastrike, Dawn, and Sprite-never showed any symptoms."Ratchet replied. "Camo was released awhile ago, and Violet was released this morning."

Starscream nodded, taking in the information. His processor was still foggy from coming out of stasis lock, and it took him a few more moments to figure out that one Seekerling had been left out of the explanation.

"What of Firefly?" Starscream asked.

Ratchet shifted his servos into a more comfortable position, making it so that Starscream could see him as well. Starscream's face was instantly filled with concern and worry.

"Is he all right?"

"He should be."Ratchet replied. "He just needs to rest. Same as you."

Starscream ignored the medic's last statement, and started to rise. Ratchet rolled his optics and pushed the weak mech back down on his wings.

"I just said you need to rest."

"The others need to eat."Starscream returned, a bit annoyed at being pushed down. "They are most likely being little wretches."

Ratchet inwardly smirked at the comment. He shook his helm though.

"No?" Starscream questioned.

"You will not be able to feed them anymore."Ratchet replied, a bit of remorse in his voice. "The infection ruined your feeding protocals, so that all of the energon you make will be tainted. They will have to be bottle fed with a low grade energon."

"Not very good for their systems."Starscream muttered to himself.

"I can work on a formula."Ratchet replied. "It won't be too hard to dilute energon."

Starscream grunted a bit in responce. He was exhausted, as stasis lock and recharge were two separate things. He could feel himself slipping into recharge as they spoke, but was trying rather valiantly to stay awake. Ratchet instantly cut off the conversation though, as nothing more needed to be said. Soon he was the only bot awake in the med-bay.

OoOoOoOoO

"How does Starscream keep them so quiet?" Bulkhead asked above the noise of playing Seekerlets.

Arcee shook her helm, grabbing one as it tried to get away as it had learned a new super power, crawling. It was only a matter of minutes until two more discovered this trick. Bumblebee had a little gray and green frame trying to climb up his pede, crowing gayly with laughter as he hung on.

"Dawn, back here now!" Bulkhead shouted at the femme making her great escape.

"Quick."Arcee said, plopping Seastrike down next to Dawn and prying Sprite off of Bumblebee. "Count them."

"Umm."Bulkhead mumbled as he mentally counted the sparklings. "Camo's with Optimus, right?"

/Yep/ Bumblebee replied. /He went to lay him down for a nap. Little guy fell asleep on the floor/

"Okay, okay."Bulkhead mumbled, still trying to count the squirming sparklets. "Scrap! It's worse then trying to count a flock of petro-rabbits!"

"They're all here."Arcee stated, casting one more look over them. "Frag!"

/Don't cuss around them/ Bumblebee whirred in an annoyed tone.

"Where's Violet?"

Horror crossed the two mech's faces as the looked at the litter of Seekerlets before them, looking for a pair of gray and purple wings. Green, blue, and pink greeted them, but no purple.

At the same moment, all three bots had started a frantic search behind and underneath moniters, on the human's section of the base, and near the hall. After the main hangar search proved futile, Bumblebee screeched as a sudden thought hit him.

"What is it?" Arcee asked, afraid as to what he had found.

/What if Bulkhead stepped on her?/ Bumblebee exclaimed, doorwings trembling at the thought of the tiny sparkling splattered and crunched beneath his giant pedes.

"I didn't step on her."Bulkhead replied defiantly. "I would have known." he face fell a little bit as he allowed doubt to enter his mind. "At least, I think I would."

Bulkhead sheepishly picked up one pede, and was releaved to see that there was nothing but dirt stuck to the bottom of his foot. Bumblebee was still shaking as Bulkhead checked his other foot. It too was clean.

/What if I stepped on her?/ Bumblebee exclaimed.

He began to frantically hop up and down as he tried to look at the bottom of his pede. It was rather difficult, do to his worry and his doorwings were throwing him off balance.

"Bee you didn't step on-"

"He didn't step on what?"Optimus asked, coming from the hall. He was a bit surprised to see worried expressions and a litter of Seekerlets trying to crawl away from their large blanket.

"He thinks he stepped on Violet."Arcee replied.

"Why would he think that?"Optimus asked, appearing the perfect image of calm on the outside while inwardly laughing his aft off.

"Because..."Arcee stopped. 'We lost her' just didn't sound right, nor did it show responsibility.

/You found her!/ Bumblebee exclaimed, noticing the way Optimus cradled his servos.

A bewildered Violet looked back at them, smiling sheepishly at all the ruckus she had caused.

"Where was she?"Bulkhead asked, giving her a glare that caused her to duck her helm into Optimus side and peep out a tiny bit.

"She had followed me back to my room."Optimus explained. "I didn't notice her until I was coming back to the hangar."

Arcee breathed an audible sigh of relief. Violet giggled a bit, looking at the three once worried bots. She ducked her head again, looking out just enough to look cute. Her optics clearly said, 'Would you hurt someone this adorable?'

She was soon set down besides her siblings, and the others kept an even closer optic on them.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ratchet vented in exhasperation as Firefly again purged his medicine. He wiped up the mess and lay the sticky dropper on the desk, a single red drop splattering on the counter. Normally Ratchet would instantly pounce upon it, scrubbing and starilyzing it until it's very exsistance had been erased from his processor, but now he could care less about the sticky counter.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" Ratchet asked the wimpering sparkling.

Firefly's fever was up much too high. He had not held anything down since his poisoning, and all he wanted to do was recharge. The recharge wasn't such a bad thing, but it was if he wouldn't eat anything. If Ratchet could only get him to take a tiny sip of low grade, or even just the medicine, then Firefly could sleep as long as he wanted and his systems would began to normalize.

Ratchet took up a different dropper and a cube of low grade. He had to get this sparkling to take something or he would offline. There was no other way to put it. A small amount was sucked in, and then squirted into the weak sparkling's mouth. The automatic swallowing protocals kicked in, and it went down. Firefly started to cry, making only the sound and motions of wailing as he was too dehydrated to form coolant anymore. Ratchet was giving him drops of it from time to time to keep his optics from burning too badly.

Starscream shifted on his berth a bit. He shot up though, hearing the distressed calls of the yellow-winged Seekerling. He saw Ratchet hunched over a bit next to the desk. He heard the wet 'whoosh' from the dropper as more liquid was sucked up.

"Just open up."Ratchet pleaded, his voice strained as he tried to control his temper. It was only a sparkling. A very sick sparkling that was getting on his very last nerves.

"Let me see him."Starscream stated, swinging his long, slender pedes off the side of the berth.

Ratchet was in no position to argue, nor did he want to. The sparkling was placed in his carrier's lap, and the dropper was placed in Starscream's slender hand. The cube of low grade energon was placed on the berth beside him. Starsceam sucked up a bit of the low grade, and offered it to the sparkling. Firefly instantly refused, clamping his mouth shut and turned his helm this way and that ti try and avoid the tip of the dropper. Ratchet shook his helm and went to clean up that counter, which was scream out to him in a gritty and sticky voice.

"Please, little one?" Starscream asked.

A sad little churring sound came from Firefly's throat as he begged his carrier with his optics as he could not speak yet.

"It will make you feel better."Starscream continued.

Firefly continued to 'fight' his carrier, refusing to so much as loosen his mouth a bit from the straight line he had it pressed in. Starscream set the dropper upright in the energon cube, and began to rock Firefly a bit as if to lull him to recharge. Firefly let out a big yawn, but quickly snapped his mouth closed having been tricked by Ratchet that way before.

The next thing Starscream did though, instead of shoving a dropper down his throat, massaged the tiny neck. Firefly relaxed in his carrier's hand, squeaking a bit as his entire from went lax. Starscream moved his hand to caress the small yellow and gray wings, Firefly looked about ready to fall asleep. Starscream saw his chance, and quickly squirted some of the energon into the tiny mouth.

Instead of crowing in protest or spitting it out, Firefly was in such a lax state that he swallowed it and immediatly fell into recharge. Starscream continued to cuddle the small, yellow seekerling close as it slept.

Ratchet stood by shaking his helm. He could have sworn that he had done just that multiple times..

"He simply wanted his carrier." Starscream snwered the unasked question.

The Seeker stroked the warm helm a bit, casuing the yellow-winged mech to chirr in sleep.

OoOoOoOoO

Starscream grimaced as he drank his own cube of medical grade energon. Stupid infection. Now he couldn't even feed his own sparklings the energon they needed. Of course, they could have diluded energon, but that wasn't very good for their systems, nor did it give then the proper nutrients.

A bump on his lower side made him look at the Seekerlinh beside him on the berth. Firefly clicked at him cheerfully as he pleaded for a sip of his Carrier's energon.

"Belive me, you would not like it." Starscream stated.

Firefly sat up and crossed his servos. He puffed out his bottom lip and widened his optics.

"Not going to work." Starscream concluded as he took another sip of the bitter energon.

Firefly tapped on Starscream's side, causing a loud metalic ring. He narrowed his optics in scorn, and pointed at Starscream's cube.

"Fine." Starscream vented as he placed the eager yellow bot on his knee joint. "You won't like it though."

Firefly decided that he would be the judge of that. Starscream lowered the cube to the sparkling's mouth, and tilted a corner into it. Firefly reached out eager and gripped the sides of the cube. He sucked greedily for only a moment.

With one swift motion, he gulped hard and puched the cube away. The dark blue liquid dribbled from his mouth as he frowned. He clicked and whirred as if to reprimend the cube for tasting so bad.

Starscream chuckled lowly. "Did I not tell you so?"

Firefly contined to pout as Ratchet entered the med-bay. Starscream went about wiping off the spilled energon from the gray face.

"I see that he's feeling better." Ratchet stated as he checked the sparkling's vitals.

No fever, hungry and energetic, loud and annoying. All signs were pointing up. Ratchet went to a cupboard and got out an extra cube he had made for the sparklings.

"I think he'll like this better." Ratchet said as he handed Starscream the cube.

Firefly even knew that the cube was for him, or didn't care who it was for and wanted it. He crowed loudly and tugged on his Carrier's servo, trying to bring the cube down to his level.

"Hold on." Starscream said firmly.

Firefly stopped his excited antics, but continued to eye the cube. Starscream again lifted him to his lap, and offered the cube to the sparkling.

Firefly took it from him and started to drink. Starscream kept his hand over the cube to keep it balanced, but he wasn't really needed. This was good, very good indeed. If the sparklings wanted to feed themselves now, it would be much easier then trying to bottle feed them one at a time.

"You can leave the med-bay when he's finished." Ratchet said, going to clean some tools.

The med-bay was his sanctuary, a quiet place for him to relax in an d work in. Slaggin' bots in there mad that awful hard.

Starscream gave a quick nod as he watched the sparkling drink his cube. They were growing up, and fast. WHat would happen to him, to them, when they were old enough to walk and fly? Well, they wouldn't fly. They had no teacher. Would the Autobots kick him out then?

Starscream instinctivly tightened his grip on his sparkling. No fragging way were they being separated. No fragging way in the Pit.

Author's Notes- I am sooo sorry for not updating in such a long time! I'm finally getting back into the swing of this story! Short, crappy chapter but this is just a little taste of what is to come!


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